The UK has a new cheapest supermarket petrol station as fuel costs continue to soar amid global oil disruption in the Middle East. On February 2, RAC Fuel Watch stats revealed Asda was the cheapest supermarket petrol station in the UK, with costs listed at just 128.9p per litre on average.
Fast forward almost five weeks and the picture has completely changed, with Asda no longer the most affordable store and petrol pump prices much higher. Morrisons now leads the way, with the popular chain charging drivers an average of 133.2p per litre.
Asda and Tesco were next, with the supermarket chains both charging road users around 133.5p on average to top-up. Sainsbury’s rounded out the big four, with motorists now paying out 133.7p per litre to fill-up their fuel tanks.
Petrol and diesel costs have increased over the past week due to disruption to global oil supplies from the Middle East as the conflict with Iran intensifies. Supermarkets are still among the cheapest places to fill-up with household names often a few pence cheaper than specialist fuel services.
Supernakrets sell a high volume of fuel, allowing brands to operate on lower margins than smaller retailers. Stores are also embroiled in an intense price war which helps drive down prices, while some supermarkets even see fuel as a ‘loss leader’ to attract further customers.
RAC Fuel Watch data shows unleaded petrol was up 3.13p per litre since the start of the conflict at the end of February, with diesel costs up by 4.95p.
However, on Friday, the RAC warned that further price hikes were "inevitable" if the disruption continues, with bills set to continue climbing. RAC head of policy Simon Williams explained: "While wholesale costs for any retailer buying in new stock will have gone up, it normally takes two weeks for price changes to work their way through to the forecourt.
“Brent crude jumped to $85 on Thursday, something we haven’t seen since July 2024. If the price of a barrel stays at this level, or increases, then further forecourt rises will be inevitable.”
