Key facts
- The average price of diesel in the UK has reached a record 200.01 pence a litre.
- Filling an average family car with diesel now costs £110, up nearly £32 from before the Iran war.
- The RAC motoring group reported the record high price on Friday.
- The transport minister insisted the UK is not facing a diesel shortage.
Motorists in the UK are facing record high diesel prices, with the average cost climbing to £2 a litre. The RAC motoring group reported on Friday that the price had reached 200.01 pence per litre, a threshold that makes filling an average family car cost £110, an increase of nearly £32 compared to before the recent escalation of the US-Israel war on Iran.
The surge in prices is attributed to disruptions in crude and refined oil product supplies from the Gulf, as well as reduced output from refineries damaged by conflict in the Middle East and Russia. Before the Ukraine war, Russia supplied between 10% and 15% of the world's diesel, and an additional 10% transited through the Strait of Hormuz before Iran began disrupting the waterway in response to US-Israeli attacks.
Transport minister Keir Mather attempted to reassure the public, stating that the UK is not facing a diesel shortage, despite threats from Donald Trump to cut off US supplies. Consumers and small businesses have been struggling with the rising cost of fuel, prompting calls for political action across Europe, which has also seen record fuel prices recently.