Wholesale diesel now same price as petrol yet forecourt gap remains – RAC

A ‘shocking’ gap in the price between petrol and diesel remains at the pumps, despite the wholesale cost of the two now matching, the RAC has stated.

The average price of petrol stands at 146.63p, according to RAC Fuel Watch, while diesel sits at 164.26p, despite the pair selling for around 114.5p on the wholesale market. The RAC also states that wholesale diesel was cheaper on two days in the last week than petrol.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “The forecourt price disparity between petrol and diesel across the UK is absolutely shocking given their wholesale prices are now virtually identical.

“At the beginning of March wholesale diesel was only 6p more expensive than petrol yet there was a 20p a litre gap between both fuels on the forecourt. Now the two fuels are identical on the wholesale market, and there’s still more than 17p difference at the pump.

Since the start of March, the average weekly wholesale price of diesel has fallen by 5p a litre, while unleaded has remained the same.

Williams added: “As the supermarkets buy so frequently they have had plenty of time to pass on the lower prices they are benefitting from on the wholesale market to drivers at the pumps, but they remain totally resolute in their refusal to cut their prices substantially which is nothing short of scandalous, particularly in a cost-of-living crisis.

“The sole national retailer prepared to buck this trend appears to be membership-only chain Costco, which is charging just under 150p a litre for diesel at the moment.”