UK petrol and diesel prices today: what drivers are paying

Petrol is averaging 160.7p a litre across more than 7,800 UK forecourts today, with diesel running almost 20p higher at 180.0p a litre, according to official UK fuel price data updated throughout the day.

For a typical family car with a 55-litre tank, filling up with standard E10 unleaded costs around £88 at current prices. Choosing diesel adds roughly £10.60 to that same fill, while opting for premium E5 unleaded at 178.1p a litre adds about £9.60 compared with standard petrol. Those differences are not huge on a single visit, but across a year of regular fill-ups they mount up to well over £100.

The gap between petrol and diesel is worth noting if you are thinking about which fuel type suits you. Diesel drivers are paying around £8.18 a gallon compared with £7.31 for E10 petrol users. For high-mileage drivers whose cars return strong diesel economy, that premium per litre can still make sense over a year, but for lower-mileage drivers the sums are tighter than they used to be.

If running costs have you thinking about whether your current car still makes financial sense, it is worth knowing what it is actually worth before making any decisions. Car.co.uk offers a free instant valuation so you can see what your car would fetch today, along with free tools including an MOT history check, a car tax calculator and a car finance calculator to help you get a clearer picture of the full cost of ownership. If you do decide to sell, the site buys cars directly from owners with free collection and payment by bank transfer, so there is no need to deal with private buyers or forecourts.