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Diesel slips below £2 a litre, but drivers remain far from fuel price relief
The average UK diesel price dipped below £2 a litre on 9 October, but remained 57.5p higher than at the end of February, according to figures supplied alongside comments from RAC head of policy Simon Williams. Petrol was up 42p over the same period.
Williams said the latest fall was welcome but warned that prices remain high. “While it’s positive to see the average cost of a litre of diesel dipping back below £2 a litre, we’re a long way from being out of the woods when it comes to high fuel prices,” he said.
The figures put average petrol at 174.79p a litre on 9 October, up from 132.83p on 28 February. Diesel stood at 199.90p, compared with 142.38p. That represents increases of 31.6% for petrol and 40.4% for diesel.
Williams said the higher prices add £31 to the cost of filling a family-sized car with diesel and £23 for petrol. He also said 2026 was still set to be the second most expensive year on record for drivers.
He called on the Government to consider extending and increasing the fuel duty cut or reducing VAT, saying either measure could ease the pressure on motorists. The RAC’s statement said scheduled duty increases would add 3p a litre on 1 January and a further 2p on 1 March, pushing up pump prices if they proceed.
The comments come ahead of this month’s Budget, when drivers will be looking for decisions on fuel taxes. Williams said VAT receipts from fuel remained exceptionally high and called for “some much-needed relief”.
For businesses that rely on vehicles like taxi drivers, sustained fuel costs can raise operating expenses even as pump prices ease from recent peaks. The supplied figures show diesel’s daily average fell by 0.11p on 9 October, while petrol edged down by 0.02p.
