Supermarkets with the best value diesel and unleaded fuel prices - plus the UK regions offering the lowest prices.

Over the last year, diesel and petrol prices have shot up by 30p per litre and have soared by almost 8p in the previous month alone.

Both fuel types reached record prices in October following ten consecutive months of price increases.

By the end of October, the average price of a litre of diesel was 147.94p while petrol was 144.35p, surpassing records set in April 2012.

The recent rises meant that an average petrol-powered family car cost an additional £4 to fill up at the end of October than at the beginning of the month, while a diesel tank was £4.50 more expensive.

Furthermore, both fuels were a huge £16.50 more expensive for an average tank of fuel than in October 2020 - a whopping increase of 26%.

Rising oil prices have contributed to the increase, but while crude costs have driven up wholesale fuel prices by 5p and 4.5p for petrol and diesel, respectively, retailers have increased prices at the pumps up by 7.5p and 8p.

According to RAC Fuel Watch, four of the UK’s leading supermarket chains continued to be the cheapest places to buy fuel, despite adding more than 10p onto the price of a litre of diesel and more than 9p onto petrol.

The cheapest petrol could be found at Asda at 140.98p per litre, which is slightly less than Sainsbury’s at 141.68p.

However, Sainsbury's offered the lowest price diesel at 144.37p, not much cheaper than Asda who charged 144.57p at the end of October.

Conversely, motorway services continued to be the most expensive places to fill your fuel tank. The average price of motorway petrol was 158.43p on 31st October, and diesel reached a record high of 163.08p.

Across the UK petrol prices varied by almost 3p and a gap of more than 4p existed between the cheapest and most expensive regions.

Motorists in Northern Ireland could access the cheapest petrol and diesel, at 142.1p and 144.36p per litre, respectively.

At the opposite end of the scale, drivers in the South-East of England faced the biggest bills, with diesel priced at 148.55p and petrol 144.92p.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said October had been a “terrible” month for drivers, but there might be a period of stability ahead.

He added: “With a fill-up costing £16.50 more than a year ago, the impact is being felt in homes up and down the UK.  It’s also bound to have a negative effect on the economy.

“There is, however, a glimmer of hope that the oil price may have peaked for the time being, but much will depend on whether more supply is released when oil producer group OPEC+ next meets on Thursday.

“Regardless of this, the profit margin retailers are taking on each litre of petrol is greater now than it used to be before the pandemic, which is artificially making forecourt prices higher, particularly as VAT is charged on top.  We urge the biggest retailers, in particular, to play fair with drivers and ease the burden at the pumps by lowering their margins on petrol from around 8p a litre to more normal levels.”

Given the current petrol and diesel prices, we recommend you read our top tips on how to maximise your fuel consumption to get the most bang for your buck.

You also use the PetrolPrices.com website to help you track down the cheapest fuel prices in your area.

The rising price of fuel

Find out the difference in fuel prices from Oct 1st to Oct 31st in your region.