UK fuel prices in October 2026: what 8,000 forecourts charge, where it's cheapest and what January brings

Since 2 February 2026, every petrol station in the UK has to report its pump prices to the government's Fuel Finder scheme within 30 minutes of changing them. For the first time, there is one complete, official record of what every forecourt charges. GasBu now uses it, and we have looked at what it says: prices at 8,087 forecourts on 16 October 2026, across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Where is fuel cheapest, how much do supermarkets and motorway services really differ, why is diesel 25p dearer than petrol, and what happens to prices on 1 January?

⛽ The headline numbers

Prices have edged down slightly this week: between 11 and 16 October the average for E10 fell from 174.6p to 174.2p and diesel from 199.7p to 199.2p. A full 50-litre tank of unleaded costs around £87, of diesel almost £100.

📊 Diesel is 25p dearer than petrol

At 99.9% of forecourts, diesel costs more than unleaded, typically by 25p a litre. Both fuels pay the same duty, 52.95p a litre, so the gap has nothing to do with tax. It comes from the wholesale market: the International Energy Agency described the diesel market in its October report as under "extreme pressure", with damaged refineries in the Middle East and Russia and Russian export bans keeping supply of diesel and heating oil tight well into 2027. Premium diesel adds another 19p on top. If you are choosing your next car, that gap is worth knowing about; if you drive a diesel today, it makes shopping around more worthwhile than ever.

🛒 Supermarkets vs the oil majors

The big four supermarkets are still the cheapest large networks, but the gap is smaller than many drivers assume. Away from motorways, a typical supermarket forecourt charges 171.9p for E10 and 196.9p for diesel, other forecourts 174.9p and 199.9p: 3p a litre, or £1.50 a tank. Between Sainsbury's (171.3p on average) and Shell (176.8p) it is 5.5p, or £2.75 a tank.

The difference is much bigger for super unleaded. Supermarkets charge a median 184.9p, other forecourts 194.9p, and Shell's premium petrol costs 199.9p against 182.9p at Tesco. If your car runs happily on E10, you save 19p a litre by using it, almost £10 a tank.

🛣️ Motorway services: 22p more

The 167 forecourts at motorway service areas charge a median 195.9p for E10 and 217.9p for diesel. That is 22p and 18p above the rest of the country, or £11 more for a tank of unleaded and £9 more for diesel. BP and Welcome Break sites charge 195.9p for unleaded and 219.9p for diesel. Unless you are about to run dry, fill up before you join the motorway, or leave at a junction: the nearest town is almost always cheaper.

🗺️ Northern Ireland is cheapest, the South East dearest

Northern Ireland stands out: E10 averages 166.7p and diesel 191.5p, around 8p below the rest of the UK. Its cheapest networks, Maxol, Circle K and Solo, all sell E10 at a typical 166.9p, and in Belfast no forecourt we found charged more than 169.9p. In Great Britain, the spread between regions is small: from 172.7p in the North East to 176.1p in the South East, only 3.4p. Diesel averages just over 200p in Scotland, London and the South East.

📍 The forecourt down the road matters more than the region

Within the same town, prices vary far more than between regions. Across 155 towns and cities with at least ten forecourts, the cheapest and dearest are a median 9p apart for both unleaded and diesel. In big cities the spread is wider: 16p in Manchester, 17p in Leeds, 18p in Liverpool and 24p in Glasgow for unleaded. In other words, a two-minute detour can save you more than moving to the cheapest region in the country.

⏱️ How fresh is the data?

Fuel Finder requires forecourts to report a price change within 30 minutes, and the Competition and Markets Authority has been enforcing it since 1 May 2026. Prices in the UK move slowly, though: between 12 and 15 October, 4,267 of the 8,087 forecourts changed at least one price. The typical price shown today was set less than four days ago, 62% of forecourts changed a price in the last week, and only 24 have not changed anything for more than three months. GasBu picks up new prices every few minutes and shows each one exactly as the forecourt reported it, with the time it was set. If a price looks wrong when you get there, you can report it to the government directly from the app.

📅 What happens on 1 January

The temporary 5p cut in fuel duty, in place since March 2022, has been extended to 31 December 2026. Under the rates HMRC published in May, duty then goes back up in two steps unless the government sets different rates in the Autumn Budget:

The same rates apply to petrol and diesel. If the rise goes ahead, filling up before New Year rather than after can save up to £1.80 a tank, although forecourts may pass the increase on over a few days rather than overnight.

💡 Five ways to pay less

1. Avoid motorway services. 22p a litre is the single biggest difference in the data.
2. Compare within your town, not your region. A typical 9p spread, up to 24p in big cities.
3. Use E10 if your car allows it. Super unleaded costs 19p more, at Shell 23p more.
4. Supermarkets are cheaper, but not always the cheapest. JET, Texaco and independents are often within a penny.
5. Watch the calendar. Fill up before 1 January if the duty rise is confirmed.

📱 GasBu in the UK

GasBu shows the prices of every forecourt around you, sorted by price, with the time each price was set and the trend over the last seven days. Prices are free, unlimited and need no registration. You can set an alert for when your usual forecourt drops below a price you choose. The route planner suggests the cheapest fuel stops on your journey, including on the Continent, and in England GasBu also shows road closures from National Highways (current closures). A fuel log keeps track of what you spend. Average prices by region are on our UK fuel price map.

GasBu is available on the App Store and Google Play.

📚 Method and sources

• Prices: Fuel Finder (UK Government), current prices at 8,087 open forecourts on 16 October 2026 at 2 pm, as reported by the retailers and without any changes. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Regions follow the ONS ITL1 boundaries; motorway service areas and supermarket forecourts as flagged in Fuel Finder. Brand and regional figures are averages, comparisons between groups use medians. The weekly trend is the average price valid at noon each day.
• Fuel Finder rules: GOV.UK, How to report your fuel prices and forecourt details; Fuel Finder collection; Motor Fuel Price (Open Data) Regulations 2025.
• Fuel duty: HMRC, Amended Fuel Duty rates: 2026 to 2027 (published 22 May 2026).
• Diesel market: International Energy Agency, Oil Market Report, October 2026.