Fuel prices still too high, says RAC
Fuel prices remain too high despite the average price of petrol and diesel falling by 2p a litre in April, according to new data from RAC Fuel Watch.
While petrol dropped across the UK from an average of 136.1p to 134.1p and diesel fell from 142.6p to 140.6p, the RAC believes the reductions should have been far greater due to the sharp decline in oil prices.
It estimates that the average price of both petrol and diesel should be 4p lower – around 130p for unleaded and 136p for diesel. This means drivers are losing out by more than £2 every time they have to fill up.
However, drivers in Northern Ireland continue to get the best prices with a litre of petrol averaging 128.8p and diesel 133.7p.
Fuel prices falling
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “On one hand it’s good news prices at the pumps fell for the second straight month, but on the other it’s disappointing that retailers didn’t drop their prices further considering how low oil and wholesale prices continue to be.
“Drivers right across the UK should really be benefitting from petrol being sold at an average of nearer to 130p and 136p for diesel. For now, only those in Northern Ireland are doing so.
“The data shows there’s still scope for prices to be reduced by around 4p a litre, so we call on major retailers to reward their customers with some further significant forecourt cuts soon.
“As the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) now has new powers to request pricing information from retailers, we’ll be very interested to see whether it believes drivers have been charged fair prices at the pumps this spring. Previous CMA reports have found evidence of overcharging in both 2022 and 2023.”
