Drivers across the UK faced significant increases in fuel prices last month, with petrol rising by 4p per litre and diesel by almost 5p, according to data from RAC Fuel Watch.
These increases mark the largest monthly rise in five months and have been attributed to the climbing cost of oil, which exceeded $80 (£63.1) per barrel in early February and remained high throughout the month.
Despite this nationwide increase, drivers in Northern Ireland continue to experience relatively lower fuel prices, with unleaded being sold at 5.6p less and diesel at 4.6p less compared to the rest of the UK.
RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “Looking at average margins across the whole of the UK, retailers are currently taking around 10p a litre on average across both petrol and diesel. The supermarkets in particular have now noticeably upped their margins to 8p a litre compared to 6p in 2019.
“Luckily for drivers, this is lower than the last two years when it was around 9.5p. “When analysing the supermarkets’ prices via the Competition and Markets Authority open data scheme, it is also very clear there are some big differences between the cheapest and most expensive prices charged for both petrol and diesel.
“Frighteningly, at the end of February, there was an 18p difference between the country’s cheapest supermarket unleaded and the dearest, and for diesel it was 21p. To put this into a context, it means the cost of filling a family-sized car can be up to £10 more expensive in one part of the country than another.”
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