A new report has revealed the major disparities in petrol prices across the UK with independent fuel traders now providing more affordable prices than supermarkets on a regular basis.
Analysis from the Daily Mail this week has shown that depending on where you fill your car up you could end up paying £22 more to fill up a family car. And where traditionally the cheaper petrol prices have normally found at the major supermarkets such as Asda, Tesco and Morrisons, some independents can now charge £10 less per tank.
2022 has been a record-breaking year for petrol price rises, but the average cost of a litre of petrol has slowly fallen by 20p since the start of July and is continuing to come down.
But following a busy weekend of Bank Holiday motoring, some motor organisations have accused the supermarkets of betraying their customers. “Drivers are up against a pump price postcode lottery on steroids,” said Luke Bsdet from the AA. “Some prices on motorways are exploiting holiday drivers. Prices at many supermarkets verge on betrayal.”
It’s thought that the way we shop has influenced the price rises at supermarkets, with more online and home deliveries meaning we are less likely to be enticed to the actual store by cheaper prices at the pump.
“Before, they would give you a discount on fuel to get you in the door to buy groceries,” said Gordon Balmer from the Petrol Retailers Association. “But why do you need to offer that if people’s buying habits have changed? People can shop around. There are deals to be had and many of our smaller independent members are offering those deals, which is good news.”