Friday, 27 March 2026
I've been collecting UK fuel price data for the last couple of years. Fuel prices are all over the news right now, so I thought it'd be interesting to take a quick look at the data.
Looking at the median price of Unleaded (E10), Super Unleaded (E5), and Diesel (B7), both Unleaded and Super Unleaded have just hit their price caps from 2024. Diesel, however, has blown right past it with the largest increase of all.
So, what does the price distribution look like for today's forecourt prices?
E10 and B7 are fairly normal distributions, with a spread of around 20p for E10 and B7. If you're near a station at either end of the distribution and need to fill a tank (50L), shopping around could save £10! For E5, the overall spread is around 30p, so you could save £15. If you're looking for a comparison site, my go-to is FuelBelly (one of my play projects).
I'm particularly interested in how prices look on the inland waterways. We live on the canal and, through the winter, are dependent on diesel; luckily, the solar has begun kicking in now.
There are two price points because there are two diesel rates on the inland waterways: one for domestic use and another for propulsion. Not all suppliers provide for each.
The data I have on canal prices is sparse; thus, the monthly summaries. The general trends (unsurprisingly) appear similar to those of road prices.