Login
My Garage
New hero

Watchdog says supermarket greed cost drivers as much as 13p per litre in 2022

By Tom Gibson | July 4, 2023

Share

Why not leave a comment?

See all | Add a comment

Weak competition allowed supermarkets to increase margins despite the cost of living crisis

Watchdog says supermarket greed cost drivers as much as 13p per litre in 2022

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said the UK’s motorists were charged an additional £900m after supermarkets increased their margins on fuel sales.

We’ve reported extensively over the last 12 months how the greed of supermarkets was preventing fuel prices coming down despite wholesale costs falling and the CMA has further confirmed this in its damning findings.

The fact that reports wholesale savings weren’t being passed onto the consumer was the trigger for the CAM to investigate, and its boss, Sarah Cardell, told the BBC that a lack of genuine competition was allowing retailers to get away with it: "We've seen retail margins increase over the last few years. And that means that motorists are paying more at the pump than they would be if competition was working really well.”

The CMA has now called for a fuel finder scheme to help drivers find better live prices online and ministers have backed this, too.

The report’s main findings were;

-       Morrisons' and Asda's targeted fuel margins for 2023 had doubled and tripled respectively since 2019

-       Sainsbury's and Tesco had followed suit and raised their prices, suggesting competition had "weakened"

-       Increased margins on diesel across all retailers had cost drivers an extra 13p per litre from January 2023 to the end of May 2023

The RAC's spokesman Simon Williams said; "[The extra costs are] nothing short of astounding in a cost-of-living crisis and confirms what we've been saying for many years that supermarkets haven't been treating drivers fairly at the pumps."

Asda has also been fined £60,000 by the CMA for failing to provide information in a timely manner to the investigation while Morisons said its pricing was "extremely competitive" and while margins had increased they "remain very low" – and no, apparently they’re not joking.

The CMA is also investigating complaints that supermarkets are not passing on falling food prices to consumers and judging by the greed shown at the pumps I think we know the answer to that already.

Related Articles

Expect travel chaos this bank holiday – Here’s how to dodge the worst of it
Planning a bank holiday getaway? Expect major traffic delays with 18 million trips predicted across the UK. Here’s when – and where –...
May 22, 2025
Nissan's iconic Micra is back – But this time it’s electric
Nissan is bringing back the iconic Micra as a fully electric compact SUV. Discover its design, range, tech, and why this EV reboot could be...
May 22, 2025
The worst UK lay-bys to break down in have been revealed
Scotland and Wales dominate the list of the most inconvenient roadside spots
May 22, 2025
Universal parking app coming to the UK – Here's what you need to know
A new universal parking app is coming to the UK, letting drivers pay across multiple car parks with one platform. Say goodbye to app...
May 21, 2025