UK inflation rose to 3.5% in September, up from 3.1% in August, driven by a sharp rise in fuel prices and a jump in air fares and entertainment tickets, according to Consumer Prices Index data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Petrol prices were 26.5% higher year on year in September, compared with a 20.2% annual rise in August. Diesel saw an even steeper increase of 35.8%, up from 27.8% in August.
Fuel and travel costs drive inflation
The acceleration in fuel price inflation is linked to both the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and renewed hostilities in the Middle East, which have disrupted the global supply of oil and other products.
Air fares were up 3.9% year on year in September, following a drop of 8.0% in August. This was due to European routes, where fares fell by less in September 2026 than they did in September 2025, the ONS said. Changes in the annual rate of inflation for air travel can be volatile, due to factors such as the timing of school holidays, seasonal deals on prices, plus the impact of global events.
The average cost of tickets to cinemas, theatres and concerts was up 9.6% year on year in September, compared with a rise of 6.0% in August. The price of visiting museums, libraries and zoos was up 4.4%, compared with 2.6% the previous month.
Food and drink price changes
Among food and drink items, mineral water, fish, rice, crisps, eggs and whole milk all saw a higher rate of inflation in September than in August. Olive oil swung from negative inflation in August, with prices on average 2.8% lower than a year ago, to positive inflation in September of 0.7%. There was a similar swing in the cost of mobile phone equipment, which was 0.2% lower in August than a year earlier, but 3.7% higher in September.
The increase in the overall rate of inflation would have been steeper had prices not eased in some areas – particularly for hotels and similar accommodation, where the rate more than halved from 2.7% in August to 1.2% in September. Pasta and couscous, tea, soft drinks, fresh fruit and breakfast cereals all saw a lower rate of annual inflation last month than in August.
Items with easing inflation
Margarine, low-fat milk and men’s clothing swung from positive inflation in August to negative inflation in September, while pizza and quiche, potatoes and second-hand cars saw a larger year on year fall in cost than in the previous month. The ONS data shows examples of both accelerating and easing inflation across various goods and services, with passenger air travel seeing the largest acceleration and pasta products seeing the largest easing.
