The UK cities with the cheapest petrol and diesel - and where you’ll find the most expensive fuel

The cost of fuel is rising on an almost daily basis at the moment, with drivers facing record prices at the pumps.

All over the country, drivers are struggling to afford to fill their cars but new research has found massive regional variation and shown that average prices vary by as much as 12p per litre depending on where you live.

To promote its fuel price comparison tool, Go Compare examined the average price of petrol and diesel in every British city and found that motorists in Leicester are getting the best deal.

The Midlands city came out cheapest for both types of fuel, with petrol costing an average of 141.78p per litre and diesel 144.98ppl.

At the opposite end of the scale, drivers in Truro are paying an average of 153.1ppl for petrol and 157.32 for diesel, making it the most expensive place for both fuels.

The differences mean drivers in Truro are spending almost £5 more for a tank of petrol and £6.54 more for diesel than those in Leicester.

The 10 cheapest cities for petrol were separated by just 1.5ppl, with York, Liverpool and Derby all also seeing averages of less than 142.5p. However, there was a 5ppl difference between the first and 10th most expensive locations and only five - Leicester, St Asaph, Wells, Salisbury and and Chicster - broke the 150ppl barrier.

Ryan Fulthorpe, motoring expert at GoCompare, commented: “As the cost of living increases in every area of Britain, looking closely at where you can save on everyday costs will make a big difference.

“Although travelling longer distances to fill up your car is likely to burn more fuel than it saves price-wise, assessing your local options is definitely worthwhile, especially if you’re driving a diesel vehicle, as our research shows that this fuel type has a much larger disparity in cost.

“We also found that the most expensive diesel costs almost 15 pence more per litre than the cheapest petrol. These costs should be carefully considered before purchasing a vehicle with a diesel engine.”

Petrol and diesel prices have been rising steadily since February 2021. The RAC’s Fuel Watch tracking service currently puts petrol at 155ppl and diesel at 160ppl.

The rise has been blamed partly on rising demand as economies around the world return to pre-pandemic levels of activity.

However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused concern over oil supplies, which has seen oil prices jump. The ongoing conflict is expected to continue to have an impact on fuel prices, with predictions that prices will continue to rise in coming weeks.

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