Drivers of diesel cars have been overcharged by 16p per litre during April despite the wholesale price of the fuel being lower than petrol.
According to data from RAC Fuel Watch, diesel is now six pence cheaper than petrol on the wholesale market, yet drivers are ‘losing out’ because of high prices at the pumps.
During the month a litre of diesel cost an average of 159.43p, while petrol remained unchanged at 146.5p.
Apart from Northern Ireland where diesel averages 147.47p, diesel in the rest of the UK remains 13p more expensive on the forecourt. The RAC states that the true figure that drivers should be paying is 143p per litre ‘at the very most’.
RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “Diesel drivers across the UK mainland continue to lose out badly at the pumps. They’re paying 13p a litre more for the fuel than petrol, despite diesel being cheaper for retailers to buy on the wholesale market for all of April.
Filling an average 55-litre family car with petrol now stands at £80.60, whereas it’ll cost £87.69 to fill up a diesel-powered alternative. The RAC says that if diesel were being sold at the ‘fairer’ price of 143p litre, it would save drivers up to £9 per tank.
