UK fuel guides

Plain-English explainers on what you actually pay for at the pump, written alongside the live price data we publish from the UK Government's CMA open fuel price scheme.

• How UK fuel prices work — What actually makes up the price on the pump display, why it lags crude oil, and why the forecourt two miles away can be 10p cheaper.
• Motorway vs supermarket fuel prices — The motorway premium in pence per litre, the break-even detour distance, and how to plan fuel stops on a long drive.
• EV charging costs vs petrol and diesel — Home charging, public rapid charging and petrol compared on a pence-per-mile basis, with the maths you can redo for your own car.
• Fuel duty and VAT explained — The two taxes on every litre, how they interact, and what a penny on duty actually costs a typical driver each year.
• E10 vs E5 petrol explained — What the ethanol content means, compatibility with older cars, and whether the economy penalty is worth worrying about.
• Is premium fuel worth the extra money? — What premium grades actually contain, the cars that benefit, and the break-even economy improvement you would need to justify the price.
• Diesel vs petrol: which is cheaper to run? — The per-mile comparison once the pump price gap, the economy advantage and the ownership costs are all counted.
• How to use less fuel — Which economy tips are backed by measurable savings, roughly what each is worth, and which ones are folklore.

Prices come from the UK Government's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) open fuel price scheme and refresh throughout the day. Figures older than seven days are excluded.