London, April 2, 2026, 20:01 BST
Diesel jumped close to £2 per litre at select forecourts in southern England this week, with March logging the steepest monthly surge on record for UK pump prices. The climb compounds an ongoing fuel shock, fueled by tensions in the Middle East and a spike in crude. 1
Timing here is critical. The squeeze is hitting right ahead of the Easter bank holiday, and on Thursday, a Bank of England survey reported that British companies expect to hike prices at a quicker pace over the next year. Elliott Jordan-Doak, senior economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, warned that “second-round effects” will keep haunting rate-setters. 1
Average diesel prices jumped 40p in March, hitting 182.77p per litre, according to RAC Fuel Watch data. Unleaded wasn’t far behind, up 20p to 152.83p. That meant filling a 55-litre diesel family car cost £100.52—back over the £100 mark for the first time since early December 2022. Petrol drivers saw the bill for a full tank hit £84.06. 2
Diesel hit £1.99 a litre at Chieveley Services on the A34 in Berkshire and also on the Isle of Wight, ITV News reported, while petrol reached as high as £1.80. Business Secretary Peter Kyle said ministers remained in constant contact with motoring and aviation groups, adding that supply was sufficient for the immediate period. 1
Smaller players are already feeling the pinch. ITV spoke to ice-cream sellers in Winchester and Sandhurst, plus a taxi driver down south—they’re all seeing fuel costs climb, but say raising margins or regulated fares isn’t nearly as simple. 1
Still, disruption appears spotty, not widespread. Asda—Britain’s number two motor fuel retailer, just behind Tesco—reported “temporary shortages” at some forecourts, pointing to a jump in demand and limited allocations from suppliers. According to Fuels Industry UK and the Petrol Retailers Association, supplies are moving normally nationwide, and drivers are being urged to stick with their usual buying patterns. 3
Simon Williams, head of policy at RAC, described March as “truly unprecedented,” pointing to the diesel price surge as tougher to stomach than petrol’s. According to Williams, the monthly increase set a new record measured in pence per litre—even so, pump prices are still under the highs of 2022 and haven’t matched the real-terms jolt consumers faced back in 1973. 2
Crude prices could be heading higher once more. Brent hovered near $107.50 a barrel, while U.S. crude fetched about $111.27 on Thursday. President Donald Trump signaled continued U.S. strikes in Iran, leaving traders guessing on when the Strait of Hormuz—the vital chokepoint behind the current supply jolt—might reopen. Unless oil prices retreat soon, drivers are likely to feel a bigger pinch at the gas pump. 4
For the moment, authorities say keep filling up as usual—don’t stockpile. But a bigger holiday rush, along with firms pushing through rising energy prices, could mean this fuel squeeze breaks out from the forecourt signs and lands more squarely in the UK’s wider inflation numbers. 3
