{"id":59376,"date":"2026-05-19T11:28:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T15:28:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/whats-happening-to-uk-petrol-and-diesel-prices\/19\/05\/2026\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T11:28:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T15:28:46","slug":"whats-happening-to-uk-petrol-and-diesel-prices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/whats-happening-to-uk-petrol-and-diesel-prices\/19\/05\/2026\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s happening to UK petrol and diesel prices?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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[Getty Images] <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Motorists in the UK have faced higher fuel costs since the US-Israel war with Iran began on 28 February.<\/p>\n

The conflict has disrupted the production and transportation of energy across the Middle East, and at some points has stopped it entirely as a result of missile strikes and drone attacks.<\/p>\n

The RAC motoring group has warned that prices at the pump could keep rising if there is no resolution to the conflict.<\/p>\n

How do wholesale oil prices affect the cost of petrol and diesel at the pump? <\/h2>\n

Crude oil is a key ingredient in petrol and diesel, which means that higher wholesale costs make filling up a car more expensive.<\/p>\n

Analysts say every $10 (\u00a37.53) increase in the oil price pushes up pump prices by roughly 7p a litre.<\/p>\n

Since the war began, the price of a barrel of Brent crude \u2013 the global benchmark for wholesale oil prices \u2013 has been very volatile, jumping from $73 to $126 a barrel at one point<\/a>, the highest since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n

That put the cost of filling a typical family car with petrol up by around \u00a314. A tank of diesel became \u00a327 more expensive.<\/p>\n

What has happened to petrol prices in the UK? <\/h2>\n

The price of petrol reached 158.5p a litre on 19 May, the highest since the war began. Diesel was 185.9p a litre.<\/p>\n

The previous high was seen in mid-April, after which prices fell for a time before starting to increase again.<\/p>\n

The RAC said it expected unleaded petrol to rise to at least 160p a litre in the coming weeks unless there was a “dramatic and sustained drop” in the price of oil. It thought the outlook was a little better for diesel drivers.<\/p>\n

However, petrol and diesel prices remain well below the levels reached in summer 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, when petrol reached 191.5p a litre and diesel hit 199p.<\/p>\n

Because transporting oil is a slow process, price movements in the wholesale markets take about a fortnight to show at the pump.<\/p>\n

Fuel retailers have denied accusations of price gouging during the conflict. The official markets regulator investigated these claims and said that profit margins were “broadly unchanged” between February and March.<\/p>\n

A government scheme called Fuel Finder<\/a> lets drivers compare the cost of fuel offered by petrol stations across the UK.<\/p>\n

Will oil prices keep going up? <\/h2>\n

For the wholesale markets, the most critical issue remains the status of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

About 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes through the strait, but it has been effectively closed since the war began.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n