Fuel·Hawk
The index · live

UK petrol prices,
to the penny.

The national average across every UK forecourt reporting to the Government Fuel Finder scheme, refreshed every five minutes. A 90-day trend, and where each pence per litre actually goes — fuel duty, VAT, wholesale, retailer margin.

Chapter I · Today

National average, live.

Updated every 5 minutes
E10
Unleaded
156.7p/L
vs 24h ago
B7
Diesel
188.4p/L
vs 24h ago
E5
Super unleaded
174.7p/L
vs 24h ago
B7+
Premium diesel
195.1p/L
vs 24h ago
Chapter II · 90-day trend

The curve, ninety days back.

Unleaded (E10)Diesel (B7)
0p10p20p30p40p50p60p70p80p90p100p110p120p130p140p150p160p170p180p190p200p210p9 Mar3 May

Each point on the chart is the UK national average pump price for that day, computed across every reporting forecourt. Daily granularity — intraday movement washes out at this zoom level.

Chapter III · Where the money goes

A pence-per-litre autopsy.

The UK pump price breaks into four parts — fuel duty, VAT, wholesale cost, and retailer margin. Tax is the biggest single slice by some margin.

Unleaded (E10) · today
156.7p/L
  • Fuel duty
    52.95p
    33.8% of pump
  • VAT (20%)
    26.12p
    16.7% of pump
  • Wholesale
    69.60p
    44.4% of pump
  • Retailer
    8.00p
    5.1% of pump

Fuel duty is a flat 52.95p per litre, unchanged since the 2022 cut. VAT sits on top at 20% of the pre-tax total. Between them, tax accounts for roughly 50% of every pump litre of UK unleaded.

Chapter IV · Questions, answered

UK fuel prices, explained.

01What is the UK average petrol price today?
The live UK national average for E10 unleaded is 156.7p per litre across every forecourt reporting to the Government Fuel Finder scheme, updated every 5 minutes. Diesel sits at 188.4p/L.
02Why do UK petrol prices vary so much between forecourts?
Two main reasons. First, retailer margin — supermarket forecourts run thin margins as loss-leaders to pull grocery traffic, while branded sites (Shell, BP, Esso) carry higher fixed costs. Second, wholesale pass-through lag — retailers buy in volume at different times, so a drop in wholesale takes days or weeks to reach every pump.
03What makes up the cost of a litre of petrol in the UK?
At today's UK average of 156.7p/L for E10, the breakdown is roughly: fuel duty 52.95p (a flat government levy), VAT 26.1p (20% of the pre-tax price), wholesale cost around 69.6p, and retailer margin around 8p. Tax alone accounts for roughly 50% of every pump litre.
04How often does the UK fuel price index update?
The live national averages above are recomputed every five minutes against every reporting forecourt. The 90-day trend chart updates daily. Under the 2025 Motor Fuel Price Open Data Regulations, forecourts must publish any price change to the Fuel Finder scheme within 30 minutes.
05Why are gas prices in Britain so high compared to the US?
Fuel duty. The UK charges 52.95p per litre of fuel duty and then 20% VAT on top — together that's roughly 50% of every pump litre. The US federal gas tax is about 18¢ per gallon (~4p/L). The underlying wholesale cost is similar in both markets; the difference at the pump is almost entirely tax.
§ Act on the number

The national average is not your average.

Local prices swing 10-20p per litre around the UK mean. Search by postcode or read today's forecast to decide whether to fill up or hold off.

Find the cheapest near you →Today's forecast →