Mobility

UK Petrol: What Are You Paying For at the Pump?

The main economic shockwave to emanate out of Ukraine towards Europe since the Russian invasion has been that of rapidly rising fuel prices. In the UK, Sunday's national average price per litre of petrol hit 167 pence, marking a new record figure for the eighth day in a row.

In this infographic we take a look at what components make up the price we pay at the pump. According to the latest figures from RAC, the lion's share goes on fuel duty - a cost which is slightly higher than even that of the wholesale cost of the fuel itself.

VAT adds another sizeable chunk onto the numbers rolling ever higher as you fuel up. The retail profit margin is relatively low, at 7.5 percent, while the cost of deliver and distribution that is passed on to the consumer is only one percent of the final amount you pay to keep your vehicle moving.

Description

This chart shows the share of the total retail price of one litre of petrol in the UK, by component in March 2022.

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Average gasoline and diesel retail price in the United Kingdom at the beginning of each week from January 31, 2022 to March 9, 2026 (in pence per liter)
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Average price of unleaded 95 octane fuel in the United Kingdom (UK) from September 2017 to September 2022 (in pence per liter)
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Average price of diesel fuel from supermarkets vis-a-vis national average in the United Kingdom (UK) from January 2020 to March 2024 (in pence per liter)
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Distribution of automotive gasoline prices in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2016 to 2020 (in euro cents per liter)
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Leaded petrol duty rates in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2019, in pence per liter
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Unleaded petrol duty rates in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2019, in pence per liter

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