Official Figures: UK Petrol and Diesel Edge Down From Spring Peak
The latest official figures confirm what drivers have started to see at the pumps: petrol and diesel prices are easing off the highs reached during the Middle East conflict. The UK Government's weekly road fuel statistics show both fuels edging lower, though they remain well above where they sat a year ago. For anyone budgeting around the car, the trend now points gently downward.
What the Latest Data Shows
For the week commencing 1 June 2026, the average price of unleaded petrol was 158.74p a litre, a fractional fall of 0.04p on the previous week, while diesel averaged 184.11p a litre, down 0.96p, according to GOV.UK weekly road fuel statistics. That narrowed the diesel premium over petrol to 25.37p a litre.
Two fixed costs sit inside every litre and did not move: fuel duty held at 52.95p a litre, and VAT stayed at 20%. Those components alone make up a large slice of the pump price, which is why falls in the oil price feed through more slowly than many drivers expect.
How This Compares
The easing follows a steep climb. In the week of 12 May 2025, petrol cost 132.32p a litre and diesel 139.20p — both far below today's levels. Prices accelerated from March 2026 as the conflict took hold, with diesel peaking at 192.14p a litre in mid-April and petrol reaching 158.78p in late May. The gap between the two fuels was even wider at the spring peak, hitting 33.97p a litre in mid-April.
It is worth noting that the GOV.UK weekly average runs a little higher than the daily figures published by the RAC, which had petrol nearer 156p and diesel around 178p in mid-June. That is normal: the official series is a weekly national average and lags faster-moving daily trackers.
What This Means for Drivers
On the data alone, the direction of travel is down. Both fuels are off their spring peaks, and with oil prices falling on hopes of a US-Iran deal, further easing looks likely over the coming weeks. The official figures are national averages, though, so they smooth over big regional and forecourt-to-forecourt differences — the price near you may be moving faster or slower than the headline number. Diesel drivers in particular still face a clear premium and should expect to pay more than petrol drivers per litre.
How to Save on Fuel
- Treat the national average as a guide, not the price you will actually pay — local forecourts can sit well above or below it, so find the cheapest petrol near you before filling up.
- Diesel carries a premium of around 25p a litre, so shop especially hard and check whether your local supermarket forecourt is genuinely competitive on diesel.
- Watch the weekly trend rather than reacting to daily noise; when the official average is clearly falling, there is little to gain from filling up early.
Sources
- GOV.UK — Weekly road fuel prices — accessed 15 June 2026
- RAC Fuel Watch — accessed 15 June 2026