Some UK forecourts change fuel prices up to nine times a day
By Anthony Sharkey, Chief Operating Officer, New Reg Limited · 22 Aug 2026
Official government fuel price data shows a small number of UK forecourts are moving their unleaded prices several times within a single day, with swings of several pence per litre.
A handful of UK petrol stations are resetting their pump prices not once but multiple times a day, meaning the price you see when you leave home may not be the price you pay when you arrive. Official UK government fuel price data for the 72 hours to 2:29am on 22 August shows that six forecourts changed their unleaded price three or more times in that window alone, with the most active station making nine separate changes.
The station with the most frequent changes was Essar Sefton St (L8 6UD) in Liverpool, which moved its unleaded price nine times between 7:31am on 19 August and 11:31pm on 21 August. The price at that station ranged from 160.8p to 164.9p a litre across those changes, a swing of 4.1p that translates to roughly 19p per gallon. On a 50-litre fill that difference works out at just over £2, which is not trivial when budgets are tight.
Three other stations showed eight price changes over the same period. BP (HU5 5BA) in Hull moved between 163.9p and 168.9p a litre, a spread of 5p. Essar (PR7 4HF) in Adlington, Chorley ranged from 157.9p to 161.9p, and Essar (L4 3TL) in Bootle moved between 152.9p and 156.9p. The pattern suggests some operators are adjusting prices in response to local competition or wholesale costs during the day rather than locking in a single daily rate. It is also worth bearing in mind, as official UK government fuel price data acknowledges, that a sharp swing of several pence at one station can occasionally reflect a data-entry error in what the station has submitted, rather than a genuine price change at the pump.
Price pattern watch: forecourts that repeatedly move their price at set times
Updated automatically from official UK government fuel price data (as at 16 September 2026). Each forecourt below moved a fuel price in both directions (up then down, or down then up) at a consistent time of day, and repeated that on at least three separate days in the last week. A one-off price change is not listed. Patterns aligned with peak traffic are shown first.
- Inner Space Stations (YO10 3LE) in York (unleaded): On 3 of the last 7 days this station cut its price by about 2.0p around 7am, then put it back up within hours. A dip repeating at the same time each day suggests the lower price is offered only briefly.
- Shell (DN14 8JS) in Goole (premium unleaded, unleaded, super diesel and diesel): On 7 of the last 7 days this station raised its price by about 2.0p around 10pm, then dropped it again within hours. A pattern repeating at the same time each day suggests the price is raised to earn more from drivers during that part of the day.
- Parkfoot Garage Limited (ME19 5AE) in West Malling (super diesel and premium unleaded): On 5 of the last 7 days this station cut its price by about 13.0p around 8pm, then put it back up within hours. A dip repeating at the same time each day suggests the lower price is offered only briefly.
- BP (HU9 5QL) in Hull (super diesel, diesel and unleaded): On 3 of the last 7 days this station raised its price by about 1.0p around 10pm, then dropped it again within hours. A pattern repeating at the same time each day suggests the price is raised to earn more from drivers during that part of the day.
- BP (HU15 2SL) in Brough (diesel, unleaded and super diesel): On 3 of the last 7 days this station raised its price by about 1.0p around 10pm, then dropped it again within hours. A pattern repeating at the same time each day suggests the price is raised to earn more from drivers during that part of the day.
- BP (HU15 2RD) in Brough (unleaded, diesel, premium unleaded and super diesel): On 3 of the last 7 days this station raised its price by about 1.0p around 10pm, then dropped it again within hours. A pattern repeating at the same time each day suggests the price is raised to earn more from drivers during that part of the day.
- BP (HU5 5BA) in Hull (diesel and super diesel): On 3 of the last 7 days this station raised its price by about 1.0p around 10pm, then dropped it again within hours. A pattern repeating at the same time each day suggests the price is raised to earn more from drivers during that part of the day.
All figures are taken directly from official UK government fuel price data (Open Government Licence v3.0), covering the last 7 days. This list is refreshed daily. The stated timing is what the data shows; any suggestion of intent is our own interpretation of that repeated pattern.
Sources
This story cites UK Fuel Price Data.