Supermarket forecourts are undercutting the national average

Filling up at a supermarket forecourt rather than a standard petrol station is currently saving drivers nearly 2p on every litre of unleaded, and that adds up meaningfully over a full tank. Official UK fuel price data covering 7,817 forecourts puts the national average for E10 unleaded at 161.3p a litre, which works out at roughly £7.33 a gallon. Across 1,487 supermarket sites, the average drops to 159.4p a litre, or about £7.25 a gallon.

For a typical family car with a 55-litre tank, that 1.9p difference saves just over £1 each time you fill up. That might not sound dramatic, but a driver filling up once a week would save around £52 a year simply by choosing a supermarket pump over an independent or motorway forecourt. If fuel costs are a regular pressure on your household budget, the habit of routing past a supermarket when the tank is low is one of the simplest ways to reduce what you spend.

Diesel drivers are not in the same position. The national average for diesel stands at 181.2p a litre according to the same official data, which is a notable gap above unleaded and a reminder that drivers running older diesel vehicles continue to face higher running costs at the pump. Anyone weighing up whether to switch fuel type or vehicle should factor that spread into their sums.

For drivers thinking about the broader cost of running or owning a car, it is worth knowing that Car.co.uk offers a free instant valuation if you are considering selling your vehicle, along with free tools including an MOT history check, a car tax calculator and a car finance calculator. If you decide to sell, the service buys cars directly from owners, with free collection and payment by bank transfer, so there is no need to negotiate with a private buyer or trade in at a dealership.