Diesel prices hit three-year high as costs continue to soar

The cost of diesel has hit its highest point in more than three years as the effects of the Iran war continue to be felt.

Data from the RAC shows that the average price of diesel is up by 29p a litre since the end of February to 171.17p, its highest price since the middle of January, 2023. It now means that to fill an average-sized car with diesel costs £94, or £16 more than it did before the conflict broke out.

Petrol, meanwhile, has risen by more than 14p a litre to 147.19p since the end of February. The cost of filling an average car with petrol now stands at £81. The RAC says that the last time it was this high was early in June 2024.

Simon Williams, RAC head of policy, said: “As a barrel of oil has been trading well over $100 for the last three days and looks set to remain at that level, drivers are in for a rough ride at the pumps in the run-up to the Easter break with no end to price increases in sight.

“With the price of petrol likely to go above 150p a litre in the next week and diesel heading to 180p, it’s looking like it will be the most expensive Easter on the roads since the early days of the war in Ukraine in 2022.”

Williams added that: “Given how many rely on their cars, households are really feeling the effects of the conflict in the Middle East.”