Petrol drivers are paying up to £628 more per year to use the road compared with just three months ago, as fuel costs continue to rise, according to new data.
Analysis shows that petrol drivers buying 50 litres per week could spend as much as £628 more per year than at July’s lowest prices. The cost of petrol and diesel has remained volatile since February, when conflict in the Middle East disrupted wholesale oil supplies.
16% rise since July
Analysis by Fast Loan UK examined daily fuel price data across 74 UK counties between May and October 2026. The group estimated that the UK petrol average rose from 150.66p per litre at the start of July to 174.80p on October 1, a 16% increase.
According to experts, the rise adds £12.07 to the cost of buying 50 litres of petrol. This would take the average weekly fuel bill from £75.33 at the July low to around £87.40 today. Over 52 weekly fills, petrol owners would therefore pay £628 more per calendar year.
Costs soar in recent weeks
Costs soared between the end of August and September 30, with average petrol fees rising by as much as 12.95p per litre. The RAC has warned that petrol prices were on the up, with data suggesting that one litre of unleaded now costs 174.71p on average.
This is around 42p more than at the start of the war in February. The RAC claimed that a 55-litre tank of petrol now costs around £96.09, £23.03 more than at the start of the US/Iran conflict.
Retailers urged to do more
RAC’s Simon Williams has called on fuel retailers to do more to help road users battling rising costs at the pumps, suggesting that there was scope for costs to come down.
He said: “Retailing strategy also plays a role as analysis of RAC Fuel Watch data shows petrol prices are, on average, higher than we would expect – suggesting some retailers could be making an effort to keep diesel prices a little lower by balancing prices across the two fuels.
“Based on recent fuel retailing trends, we'd expect petrol to be averaging 170p a litre rather than the current price.”
