Diesel Prices UK

Where these prices come from

Diesel prices UK-wide are tracked officially by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), which publishes its weekly road fuel prices every Tuesday for the week beginning the previous Monday. The series covers standard unleaded petrol (ULSP) and ultra low sulphur diesel (ULSD), the two fuels sold on nearly every UK forecourt. Our server checks gov.uk for the new release every day and rebuilds the figures and chart on this page automatically, so what you see here is the current official average, not a copy someone pasted in months ago. The data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources checked July 2026.

One caution for fleet buyers: these are pump price averages. Operators fuelling at bunker sites or buying bulk diesel into their own tanks pay a negotiated rate that normally sits below the forecourt average, and that rate moves with the wholesale market rather than the pump. Use the average here as a market benchmark, then put your own pence per litre into the fuel cost calculator when you cost a real journey.

Fuel duty and VAT: the tax in every litre

Two taxes sit inside every litre of road fuel. Fuel duty is a fixed amount per litre, currently 52.95p for both petrol and diesel, and VAT at 20% is then charged on the whole price including the duty. At this week's average diesel price that works out at 52.95p duty plus 27.42p VAT, so 80.37p of a 164.52p litre goes to the Treasury: 48.9% of the price.

The 52.95p rate is the temporary 5p cut first made in March 2022 and extended several times since. The government has confirmed the rates ahead: 52.95p runs to 31 December 2026, rises to 55.95p on 1 January 2027, then to 57.95p on 1 March 2027, restoring the pre-2022 level. For a 44 tonne artic returning 9.5 mpg, that scheduled 5p rise adds roughly 2.4p per mile to fuel cost before VAT, which is worth building into any contract rate that runs past January 2027. Rates checked July 2026.

Why diesel costs more than petrol

Duty is identical on both fuels and retail margins are similar, so the persistent gap between diesel and petrol comes from the wholesale market. Diesel is a middle distillate, refined from the same part of the barrel as heating oil and jet fuel, and it competes with both for refinery output, so cold winters and strong freight or aviation demand push diesel wholesale prices up faster than petrol. The UK also imports a significant share of the diesel it uses, which adds freight and exchange rate exposure that petrol carries to a lesser degree. In the data above you can see the effect: in the week beginning 13 April 2026 the diesel average peaked at 192.14p while petrol stayed almost 34p cheaper.

Red diesel: duty, rules and who can use it

Red diesel is ordinary gas oil with a red marker dye, sold at a rebated duty rate for uses the law lists as excepted. It is chemically the same fuel; the discount is purely a tax rebate, which is why using it illegally is treated as duty evasion rather than a paperwork slip.

The rebated duty rate is 6.48p per litre from 15 June 2026 to 31 December 2026, a temporary cut from 11.14p. It is set to move to 10.76p on 1 January 2027 and back to 11.14p on 1 March 2027, per the published fuel duty rates for 2026 to 2027. Compare that with 52.95p on white diesel and the incentive to misuse it is obvious, which is why HMRC dip tanks at the roadside.

Since 1 April 2022 most sectors lost the right to use it. Under Excise Notice 75, the main users still allowed are:

• Agriculture, horticulture, fish farming and forestry, including tractors and agricultural machines used on the land
• Rail vehicles: locomotives and track maintenance machines
• Heating and electricity generation for premises that are not used for commercial purposes
• Golf courses and driving ranges, community amateur sports clubs, and travelling fairs and circuses
• Most boats, though not propelling private pleasure craft

Commercial road transport is firmly outside the list. Lorries, vans and other vehicles used for haulage cannot run on red diesel, and neither can transport refrigeration units powered by a separate engine, a change that caught many chilled operators in 2022. Construction plant also lost its entitlement. There are narrow exceptions that may still use rebated fuel on a public road, but only for their permitted purpose: agricultural tractors and machines, gritters and snow clearing vehicles, and mowers, all covered by the excepted uses above. None of that extends to moving freight. Penalties for misuse include seizure of the vehicle or machine, recovery of up to four years of evaded duty, civil wrongdoing penalties, and in serious cases an unlimited fine or up to seven years in prison. Rules checked July 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average diesel price in the UK right now?

The headline figure at the top of this page is the current official UK average, published by DESNZ for the week shown and refreshed here automatically. It is a national pump average, so expect supermarket forecourts to sit a few pence below it and motorway services well above it.

How often do these prices update?

DESNZ publishes every Tuesday, covering the week that began the previous Monday. Our server checks for the new release daily, so the page updates within a day of publication without any manual editing.

How much of the diesel price is tax?

At this week's average, 48.9%. Fuel duty is fixed at 52.95p per litre until 31 December 2026, and VAT at 20% is charged on the duty inclusive price, which adds 27.42p at the current average. The VAT-registered operators moving your freight reclaim the VAT, so their real exposure is the duty plus the pre-tax product cost.

Will fuel duty go up in 2027?

Yes, on the rates already published: 55.95p per litre from 1 January 2027 and 57.95p from 1 March 2027, ending the 5p cut in force since March 2022. A future Budget could change this, but those are the legislated figures as of July 2026.

Can lorries or vans use red diesel?

No. Vehicles used for commercial road transport cannot run on rebated fuel, and since April 2022 that ban extends to lorry refrigeration units driven by a separate engine. A few special cases such as agricultural tractors, gritters and snow ploughs may still use it on the road for their permitted purpose, but that never covers haulage. Misuse risks seizure of the vehicle, up to four years of back duty and criminal prosecution.

Why did diesel spike in spring 2026?

The chart shows the diesel average climbing from the 140s in mid 2025 to a peak of 192.14p in the week beginning 13 April 2026, before easing back through early summer. Moves of that size come from the wholesale distillate market rather than tax, since duty was unchanged at 52.95p throughout. It is a reminder to cost contracts with a fuel escalator rather than a fixed pence per litre.

Do hauliers pay these pump prices?

Owner drivers and small fleets often do. Larger operators buy through bunker networks or bulk deliveries at negotiated rates below the pump average. Either way, movements in this index feed through to haulage rates, which is why many contracts include a fuel surcharge linked to a published index like this one.