Are UK diesel drivers being ripped off?

Just a couple of weeks ago, we talked about the fact that UK diesel drivers are being given a hard time at the moment, especially if they live in Islington, London, where they’re now being charged an extra annual fee for parking their vehicles outside their homes.

On top of this, the government seem to have completely changed their stance on diesel vehicles, now viewing them negatively in terms of pollution after supporting their use for many years.

Now there’s yet another part to the story, in the form of a Sky News report stating that diesel drivers are also being “taken for a ride” with regard to the cost of their fuel.

The story is based on comments from The RAC, who have found that although diesel only costs a penny more than unleaded on a wholesale level, the cost variance rises to approximately six pence more by the time the fuel arrives at the forecourt.

The RAC believe that retailers are maintaining a higher margin on diesel because it’s the fuel used by the majority of commercial vehicles.

The Petrol Retailers Association has defended the pricing, saying that a lot of the diesel fuel purchased in Britain is purchased for business use, using fuel cards, the use of which carries certain “tax incentives.” However, this will be of little comfort to those who have chosen a diesel car as their personal vehicle, perhaps even because the government suggested it was the wise thing to do at the time.

Interestingly, the “state stance” on diesel varies across European countries. Britain is one of a few countries currently charging more for diesel than for unleaded, but most other EU nations, including Austria, Belgium and France, all charge less for diesel.