Over the last eight weeks, the average price paid for unleaded petrol across the UK has dropped by just 9p per litre (all of which came in July), despite wholesale prices falling by 20p in the same period.
For us motorists, this means fuel should cost 167p per litre and not the 183p that is currently being charged – equating to a £9 overcharge to line the pockets of big bosses at our expense.
We’ve seen a few tweets from drivers promoting cheaper fuel that is more in line with wholesale prices. Mark Dixon in Hertfordshire promoted an Essar garage selling unleaded petrol at 157.9p, while a Texaco in Shropshire was at 166.9p – apparently 17p per litre cheaper than a Morrisons station just six miles away.
“July has been an unnecessarily tough month for drivers due to the big four supermarkets’ unwillingness to cut their prices to a more a reasonable level, reflecting the consistent and significant reductions in the wholesale cost of petrol and diesel,” said the RAC fuel spokesperson, Simon Williams.
“The best advice for filling up is no longer to assume the supermarkets are the cheapest, but to shop around as it’s highly likely you’ll find an independent retailer which is doing the right thing and fairly reflecting their lower wholesale costs by charging a lower price,” he added.