It won’t have escaped your notice that petrol prices have crept up to eye-wateringly record levels in recent months with a fresh peak of 191.53p on average occurring earlier this July.
Coming in tandem with a surge in home energy costs and a rise in food prices, while there are a multitude of reasons out of our control to explain why this is happening now, there is some control we can take back - at least when it comes to filling up our motorcycles - to ease the squeeze on our budgets, provided you’re willing to do a bit of savvy research first.
Of course, fuel prices fluctuate by the day but generally there is a brand hierarchy when it comes to finding the cheapest fuel, the most expensive and the best-stocked with the shortest queues.
You may have a preferred location already but perhaps now is the time to shop around a little to shave off those pennies - however, do your sums, there is no point in travelling further to secure a 2p saving if you’ll spend more getting there.
It will come as no surprise that supermarkets have maintained more aggressive pricing policies even during the sharp rise overall for those that want to get a few litres of fuel when they pop for a pint of milk.
As of 1 July 2022, financial company Arval ranked Asda as the cheapest petrol retailer on average at 179.96p per litre, followed by Sainsbury’s (181.03p), Morrisons (181.75p) and Tesco (182.72p).
Of the more widely located big brands, Esso is cheapest at 183.92p, comfortably ahead of Texaco at 186.79p. Incidentally, if you happen to live near one, the smaller Gulf retailer sells fuel competitively with the supermarkets.
| June 2022 Average Fuel Prices - By Brand | ||
| Brand | Unleaded | |
| # | UK Average | 188.87p |
| 1 | Asda | 179.96p |
| 2 | Sainsburys | 181.03p |
| 3 | Gulf | 181.66p |
| 4 | Morrisons | 181.75p |
| 5 | Tesco | 182.72p |
| 6 | Esso | 183.92p |
| 7 | Jet | 184.84p |
| 8 | Murco | 186.57p |
| 9 | Co-Op | 186.60p |
| 10 | Texaco | 186.79p |
| 11 | BP | 187.36p |
| 12 | Shell | 187.49p |
Where are the cheapest regions in the UK to buy fuel?
While we wouldn’t suggest driving county-to-county just to get cheaper fuel, it’s worth knowing perhaps where to swing by on your travels if you’re doing lots of miles.
In June 2022 at least, the cheapest region to purchase fuel - by some margin - was Cumbria, with fuel prices at 171.74p, some 14p less than the national average.
In fact, only one other area - Gloucestershire - was recorded as offering fuel for under 180p on average, with prices at 177.43p.
Elsewhere, things start to level out among each other, though it is worth noting the most expensive region to purchase fuel last month was Dumfriesshire at 194.56p. Unfortunately, Cumbia a good 62 miles away…
As for the home nations, Wales offers the cheapest fuel on average at 184.97p, followed by England (185.56p), Northern Ireland (185.69p) and Scotland (185.70p).
If you want to know how much fuel is on average in your area AND find out how it compares with other regions - CLICK HERE
Meanwhile, the AA has predicted fuel prices to start coming down again in the near future as wholesale supply catches up with demand
