Driving home the cost of living crisis in the UK, we pay for our diesel than other European countries.

This news comes despite the 5p-a-litre fuel duty discount introduced in March 2022.

 All pumped up

New data from the RAC shows that the average price of diesel at UK pumps is currently 155p.

This makes it 5p more expensive than both Ireland and Belgium at 150p.

Duty on both petrol and diesel was cut from 57.95p to 52.95p in spring 2022.

This was to ease the burden of rapidly rising fuel prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

However, the UK still has the highest rate of duty on diesel in Europe, alongside Italy.

Despite this, diesel in Italy is still currently 7p cheaper than the UK, at an average of 148p a litre.

Across the channel

France’s duty rate is only the equivalent of a penny lower than the UK’s (52p), but its average diesel price is 9p less at 146p.

In Belgium, where duty is the equivalent of 2p less than in the UK, at 51p, diesel is 5p cheaper at 150p.

Furthermore, while France has the same VAT rate as the UK, 20%, Italy and Belgium have higher rates, 22% and 21%, respectively, yet still charge less at the pumps.

In Ireland, where diesel at forecourts is 5p less than the UK at 150p, duty is also 6p less at 47p a litre, but notably, VAT is 3% higher at 23%.

 

By comparison, the UK’s petrol is only the eleventh most expensive in Europe, at an average of 149p.

This is in stark contrast to the priciest petrol which can be found in Denmark, averaging 175p.

That said, duty in Denmark is far higher than in the UK – the equivalent of 59p, with VAT at 25%.

Fair fuel

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “The average price of a litre of diesel should be down to around 145p if retailers were charging fairer prices.

“The margin on petrol is also, in our view, unreasonably high at 13p.”

Williams added: “We can see no good reason why retailers in Great Britain aren’t cutting their prices at the pumps.

“It’s important to note that in Northern Ireland, where there is greater competition for fuels in the absence of supermarket dominance, the average price of diesel is just 144.9p – 10p less than the UK average, and petrol is 6p cheaper at 142.4p.

“There is cause for hope for fairer fuel prices in the future as the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act became law on Friday, giving new powers to the Competition and Markets Authority to closely monitor road fuel prices and report any sign of malpractice to the Government.”