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The average price of a litre of diesel in the UK has passed £2 for the first time, the RAC has said.
Fuel analysis by the RAC has shown that diesel has risen to a record of 200.01p a litre, up from 199.79p on Thursday.
This means the cost of filling up an average family car now stands at £110 – close to £32 more than at the start of the US/Iran war.
Prices have risen steadily in recent weeks and reached a new record high on Monday, surpassing the previous peak set in June 2022 in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The RAC’s head of policy, Simon Williams, said that it was a threshold that ‘no-one wanted to cross’.
“This will be very challenging for households and companies that drive a lot of miles, from commuters, haulage and delivery firms, businesses with large fleets all the way through to sole traders. In a cruel twist, it’s diesel vehicles, which were once considered the most cost-effective option for lengthy journeys, that are now burning a hole in people’s pockets.”
Petrol prices have also been on the rise, with a litre of unleaded now standing at 174.71p on average, around 42p more than at the start of the conflict. It means that the cost to fill an average-sized petrol car now stands at £96 overall.
Williams added: “For an average 45mpg diesel car, the cost works out at an extraordinary 20p per mile, so a driver covering 10,000 miles a year is now spending £2,020 on fuel a year. Households will be tightening the purse strings, while businesses may have no option but to pass these additional costs onto customers.
“The previous highest price of 199.09p seen in June 2022 is already becoming a distant memory as the conflict in the Middle East continues with no sign of a deal to reopen the critical oil and gas shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.”
The RAC said that drivers “will be looking to the government” to assist with the rising fuel bills by “lowering fuel duty further or reducing VAT in October’s budget”.
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