We’ve had a lot of PetrolPrices members contact us and ask the question, why is diesel so much more expensive than petrol at the minute? Rather than having to write a long article for each person, we thought it would be better to share with everyone why diesel is so much more expensive at the minute.
Data from PetrolPrices.com shows that since the end of March prices have been steadily rising, and industry experts are predicting that this will continue, especially for diesel, as we head into colder weather.
The price rises so far this year
The price started rising in early April due to backlash after the chemical weapons attack in Syria, oil prices skyrocketed and buyers upped the wholesale cost to mitigate any loss in costs. This was followed in May as worry surrounded America’s potential sanctions on Iran would be, as well as a trade war.
Instability in the oil-producing regions over the summer has not helped and the oil price has continued to rise on average and has been consistently over $80 a barrel recently. The weakened dollar to pound conversion in light of Brexit has also created a higher wholesale price.
More recently oil prices have been affected by low production across countries such as Venezuela, and fighting in Libya caused a decrease in output, meaning that OPEC targets were not met.
Why is diesel so expensive currently?
In the fractional distillation process, where the crude oil is boiled down to usable products such as LPG, petrol, diesel and bitumen. Petrol has a lower boiling point than diesel and therefore uses less energy to be produced making it slightly cheaper in the first instance.
Currently, across Europe, everyone is upping their central heating as cooler weather kicks in and so the price of diesel rises as heating oil is very similar to diesel, so consumers have to compete with those burning oil for heating purposes. This means that while the oil price hasn’t changed much, there is a considerable difference between the cost of diesel and petrol currently.
The price disparity
We looked in our database of prices and found out the biggest price differences between petrol and diesel in towns across the UK and found the top five.
Data was collected between 15th October and 23rd October and all data was taken from the PetrolPrices.com database
In the top spot, we had Dunoon, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, with a price disparity of 10.9ppl between petrol and diesel. Following in second came another Scottish town, the burgh of Kirriemuir in Angus had a difference of 10.05ppl. At position three and four are two Welsh towns, Cwmbran with a 9.9ppl difference and Pontarddulais with a 9.66ppl difference. Scotland also brought up the rear with Usk having a 9.65 ppl price difference.
Ashley Beach, Data Analyst at PetrolPrices.com, said “Since the 22nd of September the average price of diesel has risen from 134.5ppl to 136.6ppl with it reaching a maximum average of 137ppl. The price of unleaded however has averaged 131.3ppl over the same period, causing a huge increase in the price discrepancy between the two fuels. As of the 20th of October, the price difference has maximised for this year at 5.6ppl, a monumental 138% increase since the start of the year when this difference was just 2.34ppl. The UK hasn’t seen a price difference anywhere near this size since early 2015 when the difference averaged 7.3ppl in that January and saw a maximum of 9.5ppl difference during the month.”
Currently, wholesale prices also show a very different picture with the unleaded wholesale price dropping rapidly and there has been up to a 7p difference between the unleaded and the diesel wholesale price. These large differences in the wholesale price have led to an even more substantial difference at the pumps, as shown by our data above.
High diesel prices
Diesel drivers are already experiencing higher prices for driving at the minute, and with more cities introducing congestion charges, it feels as though there is a constant tirade of additional costs thrown at them.
Some diesel drivers will now have to pay up to £100 a day to drive in certain Ultra Low Emission Zones across the country, as well as higher parking charges in multiple councils and in some cases, complete bans at certain hours of the day in city centres.
What can diesel drivers do?
At the moment, apart from buying a new car that isn’t diesel, there isn’t much that diesel drivers can do. Governments are already pushing to remove combustion engines earlier than expected so trying seems futile.
One thing you could do is sign a petition to call on the government to incentivise the removal of diesel, rather than criminalise them PetrolPrices.com does not endorse this petition, we simply wish to make our members aware of a current debate happening, and if someone chooses to act on this then that is on their own choice and not from us. We have not been paid to promote this and have no connection to the petition owner. You can sign the petition here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/228534
When driving a diesel car, especially as the pump prices are so high, you can improve your fuel consumption by following the below:
Don’t use unnecessary speed. The Department for Transport figures states you’ll use up to 9% more fuel driving at 70mph than you would at 60mph and up to 25% more fuel travelling at 80mph instead of 70mph. The faster you drive, the greater your fuel consumption. Set off a little before you need to, to avoid feeling rushed.
Don’t think slow driving is always best though. To drive well below the speed limit on motorways, etc, is dangerous. It’s also unlikely to save much fuel. Conserve momentum. This is as important for fuel consumption as not driving too fast.
Drive at the lowest speed you can, in the highest gear possible. Car manufacturers quote the most fuel-efficient driving speed as 55/56mph.
What do you think of the high prices? Will this affect you or your family? How should the government help diesel drivers? Let us know below
Back in 1980 diesel was a lot less than petrol if memory serves me correct nearly half the cost.So since diesel vehicle become popular why has it steadily risen in price .It costs in proportion to petrol no more to produce now as it did in 1980 . PERHAPS YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF BEING RIPPED OFF
The RIP off starts by understanding that the cost of producing the electricity to run an Electric car is more than the cost of producing the Diesel. A 8 pylon wind farm, with a life expectancy of 20 years before renewal, costs £51,000,000. That cost is after the sale of the electricity produced, the ongoing maintenance and the paying of rent to the land owner.
A bit like the Brexit referendum. Sold to the unsuspecting Brits based on lies, damn lies and statistics. WHEN WILL POLITICIANS ever tell the truth?
Remain Politicians are even more economical with the truth M
Remain, leave makes no difference in the economic fast world we live today, it still remains of us being ripped off whoever is in charge, just time we ripped them off and can see why millions of companies & firms do!
…and then if you remove our contribution to the costs of wars in the Middle East oil rich countries? I’m sure that cost should be taken into account. Electric cars don’t solve everything but they do cut our reliance on OPEC countries and their cultural volatilities.
Electric produced by natural gas, big supplier Russia, so definitely not secure!
Hense, why they fracking to be less dependable to Russia, sometimes I wonder why folk talk of such ridiculous ways to make fuels for travel when the planet is 3/4 of water and what goes up must come down! Oh but’ there’d be no profit for some over rich & wealthy basket….lol
but increase our reliance on cobalt from such lovley nations as the congo
So political!
The only cultural volatility,s are caused by the west keep on arming the likes of Saudi Arabia ,and Israel . None of this would have ever happened ,if Bush and Tony Blair had kept their noses out of the M/East.
Very over political!
Electric cars are no more than a farcical and only cheap at present but soon as we all have one you can guarantee it will cost as much to fill it has it does today, then some ideology p*rick, will tell us all how much we were polluted by electrics killing our children with cancers.
Short answer NEVER !!!
I suggest you look and listen to one of Edward Heath’s interviews on the matter in his much later life. He openly admitted that the (hidden) aim was for all the EEC countries to become fully and totally politically united. This was denied by him and his fellow ministers absolutely at the time of the first referendum. Certainly lies, whether damned or not I’m not sure.
Oh please, historical history is what got us in this mess in the first place and as they say, if you going to tell a lie to make sure its a whopper and if you keep repeating it people will think eventually its the truth, like that Futter!
Never, they are politicians.
Evening Jeremy English, Well sed!
In answer to your last question here about “truth & polititions” the answer, unfortunately, is NEVER! They will always, but ALWAYS find a way NOT to reply to a straight question with a straight answer.
That highly aggravating ‘skill’ is part of the job title!!
I totally agree. They,re naturally born liars. Its in the genes. That,s why they are there . Like the old adage says . S**t rises to the Top
Makin, too many T’s in politicians but we hate to beat about the bush and no to your question or answer, that’s NASA= Never a straight answer! & NASQ for the other but as for aggravating skills is not just part of the job satisfaction but the added bonuses at the end of it, sound about right!
Politicians are incapable of telling the truth..they are bred as innate liars !
This is true Dave and why we pay to send them to higher education.
You shouldn’t be worring about the cost of diesel because according to George Osborne auther of ‘Project Fear’ World War III should have started by now and you would be called up & fighting on the western front.
And the pollution we can’t dispose of in making it?
Yes, petrol was always more expensive until the Chancellor announced during a budget speech that the Govt wanted to increase the use of diesels mentioning that France had far more diesels than us.
Strange how that sort of thing can happen.
Diesel is cheaper than petrol in Tenerife both are a lot cheaper than in the uk, so I am sure it is actually due to uk taxation.
Years ago, when there were very few diesel engine cars on the road, so it was mainly large delivery vans, lorries and buses that used diesel. To keep transport costs down, our government imposed a very low fuel tax rate on diesel, well below one fifth of the tax on petrol. When diesel engine cars started to become popular, the government raised the fuel tax on diesel because they were losing out on petrol tax as people wanted to use the cheapest fuel. The more popular diesel cars became, the more fuel tax the government imposed on diesel, until finally the tax on petrol and diesel became the same level. Then the fuel companies were forced to produce cleaner diesel, which put the production costs of the fuel higher than producing petrol because petrol is easier to clean emissions wise than diesel. So, now we have diesel at a higher price than petrol.
Not 100% right in the 80s fleet buyers of diesel could purchase ultra low sulphur diesel cheaper than normal road fuel
Bring back red Diesel, I’ll nip down to the farm and see if the farmer Giles has any of those barrels still stored away for ww3 Tanks, who cares if it stinks no one ever bothers about the cows’ dunnies!
What are they going to do when all cars are electric and they lose all that lovely fuel tax?
Put road tax up to £3000 a year!
Anthony that is the best idea ever and gives fuel free! Whoopi that means retired civil servants will have the freedom of the road for recovery! you are my kinda guy Anthony but in meantime go sit in the corner.
They’ll start charging tax on electricity for cars!
Bill, look above I already explained all that and not sure if anyone really cares as even electric cars will end up on tip heaps, like them Disabled Blue three-wheelers are why Disabled badges changed from Orange to Blue, that’ll get you thinking!
Oh, deary him!
How many years ago as I can’t count, ah but again the baffoons of parliament promised that diesel would remain cheaper than petrol because it was less likely to catch fire, that causes toxic fumes that would pollute the air unlike diesel and we could use water as it is easy to convert, less pollution and you could run a sauna on wheels at a profit, proposed to Bathhouses that spread many diseases and as for this higher price of cleaning diesel is a load of cobblers and only silly folk like yourselves could ever believe it & obviously do is why you write it, every fuel needs cleaned and neither of any cost any different than making soda, which will run out soon so no doubt the Americans will make a newer form that will cause more pollution, I feel we going around in circles on this topic!
Diesel quality has changed alot since the 80’s, partly because the EU wanted to remove sulphur.
Refineries had to add desulphurisation equipment and that has added cost. The same applies to petrol. However, the specific gravity of diesel has also reduced, because government wanted ‘city diesel’. You get fewer calories per litre and therefore fewer miles to the gallon compared to the old days. But then diesel engine technology has made up for these losses.
Another potential problem for diesel drivers, and I am one, is the change in maritime laws that mean shipping will use more deisel in place of heavy fuel oil. This is planned for 2020. So demand for diesel will increase and we know what that will mean for prices. That’s probably why fuel duty is frozen, because as prices increase, the government makes more on the VAT element and they will know the direction of prices if crude prices stay up.
An Australi an inventor has a way to use LPG in diesels. Maybe that is the way forward?
Jet fuel is kerosene with anti frothing and anti freeze added, so essentially Diesel. As cheap flights become more popular this will also increase Diesel prices.
Don’t you mean Litres? or are you on another planet, Diesel vehicle has become more economical over the years than petrol and have no need to be taken off the road, most modern diesel vehicles don’t even have the same exhausts as petrol, so fewer fumes are disbanded into the atmosphere, we have come a long way since the applecart and horses and in fact sometimes I often wonder why Britain is even leaving EU but instead gets rid of all its governing powers that make up all these silly stories, when neither of the pish artists can even drive to bottom of the road in their gas guzzling cronks, think of all these savings that all these hangers-on get for snoozing all day, isn’t it time they got them selfs a real job!
That’s so true! anyhow I wonder how much truer red diesel is, as if normal diesel rises any higher it would be cheaper to use horse and cart and say screw the planet, there something for your Roses Prime minister!
Yeah, whilst that’s all fine I’m pretty sure it’s just oil companies reacting to the threats to ban diesel and making sure they monetise their investments in diesel infrastructure before they have to shut them down.
What would be useful is a comparison of diesel and petrol prices in different countries across the world, not just the UK
It’s Cheaper than petrol in almost all of Europe even small countries is Malta,etc !! So Once Again It’s Rip Off Britain!!
The politicians have got to pay for their grand life styles some how.
Yes, you do Leslie but please don’t go on about it, I’m trying to snooze, thinking how many bottles of wine I need tomorro!
So true but fellows don’t get gold fridge stars but humiliated instead, sit in the corner like a nice little boy for being too honest!
Can’t go upsetting the Apple cart now, can we!
On motorways today driving at 55/56 mph you will be involved in or be the cause of an accident let alone be in the way of HGV’s. Let’s not forget previous Governments told and encouraged us to go Diesel..
That’s why I brought one to save environment I can not believe they are now being penalised for there mistake I can not afford to buy another car I just finished paying this 1 on HP and would lose so much money that I do not have and now Diesel has risen .
I agree totally. Not had my diesel vehicle for long and like you, I have just finished paying for it. Can’t afford to change cars just because the government has decided that yesterday’s good idea for motoring is today’s bad one. If they want everyone to move to alternate sources of power for cars, they can compensate me for that.
I’ve just ordered a new diesel car for delivery in December
Disabled? Jack.
Not correct. All lorries over 3.5tonnes are electronically limited to 90kph (about 56mph) on the flat. Some artics are screwed down to 52 in the interests of fuel economy. When you’re only getting 9mpg and doing 100,000 miles a year a difference of 0.25 mpg extra makes a difference of thousands of £££.
I travel from Leicester to Canterbury quite a lot and do a steady 55/60mph in my toyota auris and are constantly being passed by heavy goods vehicles that are obviously not being restricted.
hgvs use a tachograph as a speedo which is a LOT more accurately calibrated than the speedo in a car. at 55-60 your speedo could be reading as much as 6mph fast at 60mph
I used to deliver cars for a living nd in the last year I worked I delivered 350 +. I used My sat nav to give me a reliable road speed. Out of the 350 + I found 1 which had a speedometer which agreed with the Satnav.
Another star wars fan with their satnavs to which neither are 100% correct, if you put my postcode into a sat nav you’d end up half a mile out in the Atlantic, that’s accurate!
No Lancashire, he talking about those foreign drivers that don’t understandy British rules and walk with flat feet. don’t tell me we got a whole Brunch of Paltalkys.com on here tonight, hehe
and higher gearing/6 speed+ transmissions mean the car is best at higher speeds. most engines have a ‘sweet spot’ for fuel economy (usually around 2000 rpm on a diesel) which, in my car is around 70mph. if i drop below 65mph on the motorway, for example, my MPG starts to DROP. yes cars used to have the sweet spot in the ‘official figures’ at 56mph BUT back then, you had 4 or 5 gears at BEST (often 3 in an auto) and that speed equated to about 2000 rpm, whereas 70mph was around 3000 rpm. also aerodynamic drag was worse on older cars.
I’m no petrol(diesel)head, but my sweet-spot is about 70mph with revs about 1500, but I presume those low revs are all about engine size and torque. I have a Jag with a 6 cylinder 3000cc engine, thus tend to use it mainly for long journeys for hols and widely dispersed family. Otherwise I use a nigh on 17 year old Ka, which fits better into street parking slots for visits to town, and which also tends to allow no grief from inconsiderate dints in supermarket carparks, or being plastered in agricultural dust or mud from lanes around home, or filling it for trips to the tip. Despite the 2 contrasting vehicles and respective uses, the fuel consumptions are on a comfortable par. The Ka’s a bit like a comfy old woolly pulli, as I’ve had it for 9 years, with my daughter having previously had it for 6 years, but it’s such a reliable old bus with less than 70k on the clock and depreciation now running at a terrifying £180 a year, and minimal MOT outlays, that there’s no merit in boosting a car dealer’s revenue.
Gee, I thought for a second you were gonna tell us you were a BMW driver but no you sound like my cleaner with a KA unless of course, you are! small world you know?
Sed, even!
This one sounds like a retired copper from up north Ahh Pete, correct me if I’m wrong?
Sorry, Ron you drunk again with two stories wrapped in one, I’ll cut your allowance down next week!
Not sure the justification offered is the whole story for diesel prices at the pump.
Last Monday I drove from near Dartford to near Hastings I passed petrol stations with diesel and petrol at the same price and some at almost 10ppl difference low for diesel was 131.9 to an eye watering hi of 142.9 all on A roads. Experience says motorways are higher still.
Fuel prices used to be media worthy but not now,
I’d suspect that many fuel station owners are flexing their profit margins or perhaps just pushing their own green agenda. After all the market for fuel sales has been clearly marked for significant reduction and income loss.
By the way the £100 fine for vehicles has been around since the introduction of the London LEZ, they have simply adjusted who is affected.
To answer your questions, yes increased cost will impact everyone who has no access to public transport.
The gov’t needs to get its act together and ensure a clear message is given, both from govt and businesses.
Some Jeep showrooms are currently advocating diesel as better than petrol. For the environment. And central govt is jumping from pillar to post over what is the message of the day it appears to be driven by emotion rather than rationale.
Thank you for a well researched and reasoned article.
There isn’t the range or practicality in electric or hybrid. No one likes spending out on fuel but how else will you get a seven seater that carries luggage? Electric has a large initial outlay and is only cheaper until it is taxed when used as a fuel. Diesel was cheaper, now everyone has it the Gov tax it to gain revenue. What we need is retro fit hybrids. LPG was out there but never really took off. Convert my discovery 3 to hybrid and I’ll drive it till the end.
agreed. i cant tow with an electric vehicle (i cant run to 100 grand for a tesla) and every EV or hybrid ive looked at (like for like in physical size) hadnt the luggage capacity i need either. its fine talking about litres of luggage space, but how does that convert to my suitcases etc on family trips away?
I haven’t been over to Europe for a year, but from previous experience, diesel has been cheaper than petrol for our EU neighbours.
80 dollars a barrel of diesel is simply not true. We all know that diesel is much cheaper to produce.
Only last week I was in Greece and on average diesel prices were about 20 cent cheaper than unleaded, which reflects the real price of diesel. In this country is just a fix between the the oil companies. The reason? They simply can. Rip off Britain at it’s best.
It’s cheaper in France too because petrol is taxed more, despite producing less CO2 per litre when burnt. Something to do with the road haulage lobby I think.
Sed used to know an Andy B, wonder if you the same one can see why he liked him if it was but back to the matter at hand, it’s all to do with greedy politicians filling their own sacks Andy 😉 before those they work for.
This is a fine example of Britain subsidizing poorer countries in the EU
And how do you explain then, that petrol prices are more expensive in Greece, almost by 20p a litre? a fine example of Greece subsidizing richer countries in the EU? Come on Leslie,you can do better than that…
Rip us of rotten, the dirty filthy greedy buggers!
The government in the past heavily promoted diesel fuel and in doing so remains guilty as charged for the present situation and in my view as the very much guilty party they should do all they can to help the diesel owners out of the mire in which they willingly placed these people .I see this as a problem across all the political parties as in their turn as ruling parties they could have acted whilst in power which they collectively did not do.
Agreed – but whenever have you known any political party to follow or carryout manifesto pledges for the benefit of the masses/the country. Politicians won’t take unpalatable decisions that they can leave to the next government.
Diesel can be produced cheaper than petrol – it is a byproduct of petrol production – that is why it used to be cheaper at the pumps years ago and of course it used to have a lower fuel tax because so much of our food is transported by road in diesel lorries.
On your first question before I hit the sack, all these manifestos of today were written and passed in the lords when Callahand (in fact three PM’s) was in power of the same party, way before Maggie Thatcher but just shows how long these manifest take to be intigrated into society, then medaled with between to make a terrible soup of wrongness, so in theory its always left to the nasty party to bring out and correct Labours fine messes and manifestos from the forms of Blueprints but not strong enough to admit it their own stupid policys, is why folk like myself never want them back in power again untill the nasty party get a chance to make their own manifestos (Blueprints) for a labour Government to carry out, to see how they manage in dealing with policys written from opposition to prove the point of how absolutly useless they are at conducting anything other than a fine mess, that would be low in fact and truth and barely plausable and I’ve been a labour supporter since they started, “the working mans society” and nothing to impliment those of them in poverty if only others could see this, but too messed up in a political soup than can leave to the next generation of Governments to start the same ball rolling, to which I find more intresting that talking about diesel to be totally honest and would take a civil servant of old to know or understand, I’ll tell you the rest later if they don’t cut my B*lls off before hand, for enlighting you!
Well, if diesel sales are down, there should be a glut! Still, at less than 10p/mile for diesel all in, as against a minimum of 12p/mile, just for the electric battery(never mind charging it).It’s win win for the diesel!
Hybrids always get less mpg than conventional cars and while diesel still costs less than 10p/mile for fuel as against more than 12p/mile just to rent a battery, it’s win win for diesel!
Price of oil gone from $85/86 per barrel last week to $76ish yesterday and if anything I have seen the price rise! Amazing
Exactly! And a few weeks ago the press were talking about a price war at the pumps.
Pure profiteering!
true. they will use the excuse ‘the crude was bought at the higher price so we are waiting to use the supply at higher costs before we can reduce it’ but the second crude goes UP the price goes up INSTANTLY
As the price of a new car is out side most people’s budget they should be encouraged to trade there diesel car in for a second hand petrol car at a price they can afford and not put them into unwanted debt. One way of getting older diesel off the road and not putting to much pressure on families who find it to hard all round to make ends meet.
but the CO2 levels went up which was the reason for pushing diesels. there was too much ‘greenhouse gas’ in the atmosphere. or doesnt that matter anymore?
CO2 is harmless; the war on it was completely misguided.
In a moment of boredom, looking at my fuel card statement, I decided to see how much I was paying for diesel once fuel duty and VAT was removed. Against an average price of £1.30/ litre (at the time), I was shocked to find the actual cost was 47p/litre.
I understand that taxes are needed to pay for government spending, but to force a price to almost triple the base cost is ridiculous.
I cover up to 300 miles per day as a driving instructor and spend around £120 on fuel each week. Electric is not an option, I can fill up with fuel between lessons and carry on. I can’t contact pupils to say I’ll be 6 hours late as I need to refuel my car. Until electric becomes a viable alternative, the government need to keep better control of fuel prices. If the cost of oil goes up, so does the amount of VAT, so the fuel duty could be cut to keep the price steady.
Unless you have an magic electric tree that is exactly the status of almost all professional drivers.
300 miles in an electric vehicle will cost you £6 so it would only cost you £42 for a 7 day week compared to the £120 You are spending now, a standard full electric car would do 150 miles so you would only need to fill up once per day.
There are more electric charging stations than fuel stations in UK, you can fill an electric car up from a rapid charger in 20 mins which you could do in your lunch break so what’s the problem?
The problem is having to fork out for another car, when you have purchased a diesel car in the last 5 years and are getting ripped off by the government and Oil companies. The breakeven of the savings on buying a new Electric car is not worth it. When we are all on Electric, you watch the price of electricity spiral….we’re all on a Government incentivised treadmill to take as much back in taxes for working ourselves to an early grave….!
My husband and I travel down from Cumbria to Bournemouth about 3 times a year to see are grown up kids and grandkids. The distance is around 380 miles. If we had an electric car we would have to stop the night somewhere which would be more costly.
Nope, an electric car can be charged to 80% full in around 30 minutes.
So you get to the pumps with a diesel and there are 2 cars in front, 7 or 8 minutes to fill and go.
Same scenario with an electric. 1 hour or more. 80% full? that means another stop if you are on a long journey. eg. London – Newcastle.
Not true … charging stations are rare in my neck of the woods…..I can’t remember ever having seen one ….. Maybe in big cities but not out in the small towns.
What planet are you on? charge stations do not equate to number of pumps, and how many will actually be high speed chargers charging fully in 20 minutes, even if they did and you are number ten waiting for a charge point, that’s over 3 hours, we are a long way from losing the Internet combustion engine completely
not in a position to be able to change to petrol financially so have to suffer the costs
Can someone please explain why diesel is so much dearer in the UK than the EU? In the UK petrol is cheaper to buy than diesel, but in the EU, diesel is much cheaper than petrol. This has to be a UK government rip-off through tax charges punishing diesel drivers. Drivers in Northern Ireland currently pay at least 15p per litre more than Southern Ireland for diesel, yet pay the same price for petrol. Diesel drivers in the UK are being RIPPED-OFF!
then HMRC wonder why so many people buy cheap old bangers for cars with diesel engines and run on waste cooking oil or red diesel (which last i heard was about 65p per litre and is why farmers etc. use tractors or other agricultural VED classed vehicles which CAN include cars and vans for limited distances, wherever possible
It cannot have escaped your notice that every product we buy in the shops has at some time been transported by motor vehicle, the majority, especially the larger ones having diesel engines. Keeping the price of diesel high therefore increases the price of the goods in the shops and thus the amount of VAT raked in by the Government.
Having travelled in Europe I noticed that we are about the only country where diesel in more expensive than petrol.
I’ve heard some c**p in my time but this tops the list. In most retail sectors when something is selling well and demand is high, price drops. In this sector, you say we have to compete with users buying diesel heating fuel. And that pushes the price up. Let’s cut to the chase: diesel is going out of fashion, suppliers are trying to capitalise on it now whilst it is still in demand because when it’s gone it’s gone. RIP off the motorist – why not? Everyone else does.
This hurts. Commuting is not a ‘choice’ in #Shropshire , it’s a necessity. Every penny rise costs me £2mth (4x £50 fill ups). So 10p rise = £20 / mth £140 / yr. And that’s AFTER I’ve spent significant portion of salary on those 4 or 5 £50 fill ups just to get to work
My BMW diesel is now 3 years old, I usually change at this point but I am holding out for a clearer picture. I feel victimised and betrayed.
Like many car owners, I was influenced by the government/environmentalist rhetoric that diesel was the good way to go! In fact I believe we were ENCOURAGED to opt for diesel. I truly feel we’ve all been duped! Exactly who can one trust nowadays?
Why is diesel cheaper than petrol on mainland Europe and yet more expensive in the UK? We are being ripped off.
Diesel is a horrible dirty fuel. I am glad it is more expensive. If you drive at 58 mph on the motorway, you are being extremely safe, as you will be rolling along at exactly the same speed as the lorries. I used to do this when I was towing my caravan.
So it’s YOU that has all the wagons tailgating each other in the middle lane of motorways?????
Wanker
Wrong. Lorries travel at 60 mph therefore they have to overtake people like you. Because of the small speed difference it takes them a long time to overtake you. This means both lanes are blocked seriously affecting other road users driving at legal speeds. If all lorries and towing vehicles drive at 60 mph there is no need for any overtaking leaving the other lanes available.
Eat6 or above diesels are a lot cleaner than petrol vehicles
Why is diesel cheaper than petrol on mainland Europe and yet more expensive in the UK? We are being ripped off!
So why is Diesel cheaper than Petrol in Italy then?
Diesel always used to be cheaper than petrol in the UK years ago too; before Diesel Cars became popular.
So I’m not buying these “distillation process” and “heating oil” reasons.
It’s purely a market driven thing.
“Diesel engines get more to the gallon than petrol engines, therefore the Diesel drivers can pay more for their fuel” – is more like it!
I can manage 55mpg keeping to 50/55 mph. 9 months in the year, I live in ASIA and there I find diesel and/or petrol 80p a litre cheaper. I am told that the Governements heavily subsidise the fuel to help the locals!
Lucky them is all can be said there.
Because we don’t live in Italy but Britan with a Ripoff Sad Government
Kitty, Thank you for the above which goes some way to explaining why there is so much f a difference between the two prices. However can you explain why when prices go down diesel becomes the same price as petrol??? If the government really are serious about getting rid of diesel cars then they need to put a great deal of money, which they haven’t got, into the project, for buying old cars, a massive increase in charging point provision and hydrogen vehicle research.
Apart from higher speeds, the biggest waste of fuel is braking. Your engine puts kinetic energy into your vehicle. The brakes just disperse that energy as heat. Save fuel by not ‘driving’ up to places where you know you’re going to have to slow down quickly or stop. Every time you touch the brake pedal to slow down, you’re wasting money.
Im recharging the battery!
Dtesel was heaper than petrol till Gorden Brown in his second budget in 1998 when he increased the tax on diesel by 13ppl and stated it should be at least 10ppl dearer than petrol. So diesel has been dearer than petrol ever since also he introduced the calculatir where fuel duty rose by rmore than lnflation another Labour rip off. Tax on fuel is the biggest rip off of all.
Diesel is not more expensive to produce than petrol. My father spent 40 years in the refining industry and told me that diesel comes off the refining process before petrol and is therefore cheaper to produce.
Anthony just won the brass gold fridge star, so true Anthony but our silly government think we thicker than them!
They are not helping the diesel driver or company,s delivery goods to our shop just puts prices up when people on low wages are just surviving.
Whilst your article is I am sure accurate statistically, I feel sure that it unfortunately glosses over the real reason for this pricing disparity.
Fundamentally it is NOT Government Taxes that affect the difference, as they have (as a take per gallon) remained static for years, it is NOT down to the banning of combustion engines in 2032, as that is over 13 years in the future, which is way outside the time horizon for consumer pricing.
I firmly believe that any increased differential is NOT due to any increased production cost, which will have only a miniscule cost impact on pump prices (and being largely static, will not create any possible variance in fuel differential changes), I also contend that it is not due to political issues concerning Middle East producers, as this will account for changes in all fuel pump prices, NOT just Diesel differentials, it is also unrealistic to blame any impact during the Summer months on consumers purchasing Heating Oil in readiness for the Winter, and so this is also NOT a credible reason for the differential.
This only leaves wholesale and retail pricing structures controlled by the refineries and fuel majors, and I am yet to see any credible explanation as to the rationale as to why this should be the case, from an industry insider who knows these things!
As pointed out by other contributors, diesel is almost always less expensive, at the pump, in Europe as I also regularly bought fuel in Greece where the differential was always the other way around!
Is there an industry ‘whistle blower’ out there who can shed some light on the dark art of petrol and diesel pricing at the pumps, and stop us all from suffering under the ‘mushroom syndrome’??????
It just goes to show what a bunch of common thieves the government, local councils & oil companies really are.
I own a 2009 Ford Focus Estate 1600 diesel and I complain as much as the next man about the ‘rip off’ cost of fuel. But I also believe that this article is not telling us something and is, for some reason, slightly ‘misleading’ us. My argument with it, is as follows: If diesel fuel is on average (say) 5% more expensive per litre at the pumps than petrol but my diesel car travels on average (say) a 15% greater distance per litre than a petrol engine equivalent then surely I’m actually ALWAYS 10% better-off driving a diesel. Or have I got this argument completely wrong ? Not to mention the fact that my annual vehicle car tax for my diesel Focus is only £30 per year.
Instead of constantly punishing car drivers perhaps the government should take a good look at public transport. Buses throw out more heavy emissions than cars yet nothing ever seems to get done about them!
We holiday in mainland Spain how do they manage to produce diesel a lot cheaper than petrol?
Only cost about £52 to fill up. Sept
I’m sure it will probably be tax of some degree!
only thing this article misses (and most important thing)
UK IS ONE OF FEW COUNTRIES IN EUROPE (TOGETHER WITH BELGIUM AND SWITZERLAND) WHERE DIESEL IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN PERTROL, EVEN IRELAND HAS CHEAPER DIESEL
http://www.fuel-prices-europe.info/
Diesel in Ireland works out to be 10p cheaper than the UK
My old Ford Escort Escort diesel runs happily on central heating oil so very economical.
illegal, but it will run on it
The Government is making motorists the bad boys again. The Government is cutting its own throat by banning new petrol and diesel vehicles in 2023 so when there are no more diesel or petrol vehicles on the road where is the Government going to get its fuel tax from? I’m standing by to see if that has crossed their minds, (their tiny minds), and what will replace it because as sure as eggs are eggs there’ll be some sort of nasty surprise in store for all of us.
Clueseau is right on the ball when he asks where will the Government get the money to replace their high fuel taxes when all diesel & petrol vehicles are banned from our roads. I bought a diesel powered car for economy in towing a caravan and whilst I no longer have the caravan, I certainly do not have the funds to scrap it and buy another car, petrol or electric powered..
All drivers MUST sign up with the petitions on this subject – it takes numbers before the Govt take any notice – so do it today!
yup. huge taxes on electric are coming. just you wait and see
Clueless, your brain is running too far ahead of you, Tutt Tutt
Was the transport industry given a back hander as diesel is now more expensive than ever and it never comes down as quickly when crude price lowers. About time people started to voice their anger and let’s see if the transport industry will move with the people or stay silent because of a quite deal with government. I suggest the government tax planes as they directly put their emissions closer to the ozone.
Still capitalise on the issue with fuel it won’t belong till suppliers are out of the equasition then there’ll be loads out of work and everyone working and staying at home. Ww2 with all lives lost have we really moved forward. Britain and the money grabbers. Soon your downfall will be brought about by your own greed
Diesel car drivers are being targeted unfairly in my view for causing pollution and the purchase price of their fuel. Firstly, the methods used to refine petrol and diesel are little different from when diesel unit prices at the pump were lower than petrol, therefore, I don’t go along with the argument that it costs more to refine NOW than it did then.
Secondly, all the recent talk about diesels and their emissions is a one sided distraction, there are lots more times when I need to lower my side window to get petrol driven car fumes out of the car than when I follow diesel vehicles. I really doubt that some petrol vehicle owners have genuine MOT certificates, therefore, the appropriate authority needs to up their game and do more regular spot checks on ALL vehicle emissions.
Finally a comment about Electric vehicles. Where’s the environmental gain, electricity isn’t yet anywhere near being created without an pollution cost and, more importantly, the environmental cost of producing the battery(s) and likewise their salvage/recycle cost to the environment has not been fully thought out by a long way!
Yes, I’m a diesel car owner and mean to hang onto my Mini SD until it “dies” but equally I’m fully behind “saving our planet” but until ALL countries invest in fully thought out integrated transport systems, nailing diesels is not the solution.
What fuel do Ocean going vessels use? There are thousands of them, nay, hundreds of thousands. Jet planes, what fuel exhausts do they dump above our heads night and day, cloudy or sunny? And has anyone ever noticed that the left hand drive continental wagons plying our motorways and city streets have Long Range Fuel Tanks the size of my 4 seater settee on them so that they can fuel up on the continent and get back there without paying our EXTORTIONATE DIESEL FUEL PRICES? Just thought I’d ask!!
Given that Government recommended drivers to use diesel some years ago, they should show much more consideration, at least introduce a ‘scrappage’ Scheme
You’ve all got short memories, I see to recall many years ago as fuel prices hit £1 a litre, the Road Haulage companies were frothing at the mouth, blockading ports and refinarys. Now many years on and the fuel now over £1.30 a litre, Not a peep from the Road Haulage Association. So why now are they not up in arms with where the price is now.
Maybe they all cosy with government after a behind the doors deal with government. Wake up everyone, the French farmers had the ****s to blockade and got what they wanted, its about time like with the Brexit vote, we demand abolishment to fuel duty, I’ve a life like all you out there reading everyday about how we are downtrodden over anything an everything that effects our live, lower taxes Now, lower fuel duty Now, Sort out NHS, Now, sort out Education. Let’s all do something positive march for people’s rights if it wasn’t for the workers the top sherkers wouldn’t be in their positions looking down an ruling.
They want to stop ripping us drivers off ….. 😡😡😡😡😡😡
I live in N Ireland,over the border in the Irish republic, diesel is cheaper than petrol by around 10pplm, guess where I go to fill up ?
Diesel cars are all tarred with the same brush. Most modern deisel cars emit very low emissions and are less polluting than a lot of petrol cars. I add a blue to a tank in the boot which absorbs the particulates which are the cause of so much concern. However all deisel cars are labelled as high polluters and this is patently not the case. It would be good if reports about cars and their engines were more balanced and reflected the reality, rather than just jump on the latest hype. My road tax for my 2 litre deisel car is very low, because it is a low polluting engine with modern technology, so clearly the ‘authorities’ accept that not all deisel cars are as bad a the media make out.
“What can diesel drivers do?”……… move to electric
“Some diesel drivers will now have to pay up to £100 a day to drive in certain Ultra Low Emission Zones”….. Wow it’s a no-brainer to buy a Tesla. After about 9 days of driving a month it will have paid for itself. Just think what you could do with all that left over money that you didn’t have to pay out on the remaining days. That’s right, buy me a Tesla!
As usual the motorist is the whipping boy for pollution issues, whereas the aviation industry continues to the pump exhaust high up in the atmosphere unchecked
It just another way of ripping people off… I have just bought a diesel engined car. And now I’m the bad guy.. People who have electric cars who have to charge them were do they think the electricity comes from… It another tax on the working man/woman. This country is a joke.