August 2017 fuel price review

Having enjoyed the fifth monthly decrease in the overall price of fuel in July, drivers were sad to see the trend break in August, when the overall price of both diesel and unleaded petrol rose. This is the first increase on the average monthly price since February this year.

For unleaded, the average cost across the UK was 116.5 pence per litre in August. The average price for diesel was slightly higher, at 117.4 pence per litre. In both cases, the amount of fuel duty included per litre remains unchanged, at 57.9p per litre. This has been at the same rate since March 2011. The increase looks to be mostly due to seasonal factors, with many people holidaying during this month. There was also a slight increase in the cost of crude oil, which finished the month on the £40 per barrel mark.

Looking back over the last decade, the price of fuel has varied greatly, with the price in August 2007 standing at 97.0 pence per litre for diesel and 96.1 pence for unleaded.

The most expensive places to buy fuel

Diesel

A number of the most expensive places to buy diesel in August 2017 were in Scotland, with Tighnabruaich in Argyll & Bute topping the list at a massive 135.9 pence per litre, followed by Acharacle in Highland at 133.0 pence. Next was Freshwater in the Isle of Wight, at 131.9 pence.

Unleaded

The picture for unleaded prices in August was similar. Tighnabruaich topped the list, at 132.9 pence per litre. It was followed by Acharacle in Highland and Freshwater in the Isle of Wight at 132.0 pence and 129.9 pence respectively.

The cheapest places to buy fuel

Diesel

Diesel drivers in Staffordshire can pick up the cheapest diesel fuel at the moment, with the Tamworth area having an average price of 112.3 pence per litre during August. Next after this is the Dukinfield area of Greater Manchester, at 112.7 pence, and Spennymoor in County Durham, at just 113.7 pence per litre.

Unleaded

Dukinfield in Greater Manchester, as well as being the second cheapest place for diesel prices, topped the list for cheap unleaded petrol in August, at an average price of 111.7 pence per litre. It was followed by Currie in the City of Edinburgh and Tamworth in Staffordshire, at 111.9 pence and 112.3 pence respectively.

Cheapest supermarket prices

Supermarkets remain at the cutting edge of fuel prices, but there’s still a variation between the petrol stations of the big brands as they compete for customers’ business.

Diesel

For diesel in August, ASDA was at the top of the list in terms of the cheapest prices offered by UK supermarkets. Its diesel was retailing at an average price of 113.2 pence per litre. At the other end of the top ten scale was NISA, whose average price was 115.5 pence. However, that’s still cheaper than the national average of 117.4 pence per litre for August.

1. ASDA – 113.2
2. Carlisles – 111.3
3. Tesco Express – 114.1
4. Sainsburys – 114.2
5. Morrisons – 114.3
6. Tesco Extra – 114.3
7. Tesco – 114.7
8. Nicholl Fuel Oil – 115.3
9. Burnbrae – 115.4
10. NISA – 155.0

Unleaded

The picture for the cheapest supermarket unleaded prices was a little different, but was still topped by ASDA, with an average price of 112.8 per litre around the UK. ASDA was followed by Sainsburys, at 113.5 pence, while in tenth place was Go, at 115.3 pence. Again, this remained lower than the national average price for unleaded.

1. ASDA – 112.8
2. Sainsburys – 113.5
3. Morrisons – 113.5
4. Tesco Express – 113.5
5. Tesco Extra – 113.8
6. Tesco – 140.0
7. Prax – 114.4
8. NISA – 114.6
9. Torq – 114.9
10. Go – 115.3

Continuing to rise?

Fears are that prices could continue to rise, as the effect of Hurricane Harvey on the oil producing areas of the USA impacts on the global market. Originally, experts believed that prices going into the end of this year and the start of 2018 would rise only marginally. However, we will have to wait and see in September what affect this terrible natural event has on oil and fuel prices around the world.