Some UK forecourts are changing pump prices up to eight times a day

A small number of UK forecourts are resetting their unleaded prices multiple times a day, meaning the price you see when you drive past in the morning may be noticeably different from what you pay when you fill up that afternoon.

Official UK government fuel price data covering the 72 hours to the evening of 11 July shows four BP stations in the Hull and East Yorkshire area each recorded between seven and eight separate price changes on their unleaded pumps. One station in Cottingham changed its price eight times across that period, with the pump swinging between 154.9p and 159.9p a litre. Three further BP sites across the Hull area each moved their prices seven times, with ranges as wide as 156.9p to 164.9p a litre at one location. That is an eight-pence-a-litre difference depending on when you pulled in, which on a 55-litre fill adds up to around four pounds either way.

For most drivers this is not how fuel pricing usually works. The great majority of UK forecourts set a single price for the day and leave it there. Stations that reprice repeatedly throughout the day are the exception, but they do exist, and if you happen to fill up at one during a high point in its pricing cycle you will pay more than a neighbour who called in two hours earlier or later. There is no obligation on a forecourt to warn you that its price changed an hour ago or might change again before you leave.

The practical answer is to check the live price at your preferred station before you set off rather than assuming it matches what you saw on your last visit. Official government fuel price data is updated regularly and covers thousands of sites, so you can see what a station is actually charging right now. If you are also thinking about whether your car is costing you more than it should overall, looking at what comparable vehicles sell for and what running costs look like before you commit to your next purchase is worth doing. Car.co.uk lets you search and compare across the market so you can make a fully informed decision before spending a penny.