Drivers have been warned they might get a ‘nasty surprise’ when they fill up with fuel, even if they think they are choosing the cheapest option by going to their local supermarket.
The current fuel crisis is hitting across the board and prices at all retailers are reflecting huge hikes in fuel costs. Even the ‘big four’ supermarkets are not offering significantly cheaper prices, with costs typically less than a penny a litre down on the average price.
Fuel Crisis Warning
Motorists are being told to prepare for a hard reality when they head to the pumps as petrol prices rose by around 4p a litre and fuel costs for diesel rocketed by around 10p.
Drivers are paying the price for what is the third largest ever monthly increase in November, according to the RAC Fuel Watch monitor. Diesel shot up to 190.51 per cent from 180.37p. This hike means that motorists with an average 55 litre tank will be paying almost £105 if they want to fill up.
Diesel drivers are not the only ones suffering, either, as petrol fuel costs have also gone up during the current fuel crisis. Figures show that petrol prices have gone up to 166.48p from 162.67p, a rise of 3.71p a litre. This means that, according to the RAC Fuel Watch Data, filling up an average petrol tank will now cost drivers more than £90.
Simon Williams, an RAC spokesperson, said that October saw some ‘scary numbers’ returning to forecourt totems after a three-month period of prices going down.
He said that motorists with diesel vehicles had seen the greatest increase but that drivers of petrol vehicles had not escaped the impact of rocketing fuel costs. He added that diesel drivers, in particular, were now fearing that prices could once again hit the record of 199.09, seen already during this fuel crisis. This would mean motorists paying more than £109 for a full tank.
Hopes for the Future
Mr Williams said that it was hoped that the price would stabilise as a result of wholesale market activity and that petrol prices should actually start to dip due to the price of unleaded passing its peak in mid-October, for the time being at least.
In the meantime, Mr Williams urged motorists not to assume that they would be paying less at the pumps if they chose to get their fuel from a supermarket. It is commonly believed that this is a ‘guaranteed’ way to save money when budgets are tight, but the savings are likely to be minimal if they exist at all.
Mr Williams said that people who assumed that they would get a better deal from their local supermarket may face ‘a nasty surprise’. This is down to the fact that the ‘big four’ grocers have only been offering petrol fuel costs that are only a penny a little less than the price at the average UK forecourt.