Average diesel price in UK hits £2 per litre for first time

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A litre now costs an average of 200.01p, up from 199.79p on Thursday.

Prices have risen steadily in recent weeks and reached a new record high on Monday, surpassing the previous peak set in June 2022 in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “This is a pump price threshold that no-one wanted to cross – the average price of a litre of diesel has risen to a record 200.01p and is showing no signs of slowing, heaping more misery onto motorists.

“The cost of filling up an average family car is now £110, almost £32 more than it was at the start of the US-Iran war."

Read more: Oil prices rise 2% as 'China suspends fuel exports'

Read more: Britain in talks over releasing emergency diesel stockpiles as Trump threatens to turn off the taps

It follows talks between Britain and its European allies about releasing emergency diesel stockpiles as President Trump threatens to implement a ban on US supplies.

Mr Williams added: “This will be very challenging for households and companies that drive a lot of miles, from commuters, haulage and delivery firms, businesses with large fleets all the way through to sole traders.

“In a cruel twist, it’s diesel vehicles, which were once considered the most cost-effective option for lengthy journeys, that are now burning a hole in people’s pockets.”

Government ministers have spoken to allies in Germany, France, Italy and Ireland to discuss the possibility of utilising diesel stockpiles on Thursday, according to a European Commission spokesman.

Mr Trump’s government has already instructed Germany and France to pull from emergency diesel supplies to alleviate the impact of war-related restrictions on global prices, or face a potential US diesel export ban.

President Trump is reportedly frustrated with the countries and thinks they have not met commitments to release emergency oil and petrol supplies.

The US President’s war with Iran, as well as a Russian ban on diesel exports amid the conflict in Ukraine, have restricted global supplies.

The government has insisted Britain’s supply of diesel is robust as a minister refused to say whether he agreed with Donald Trump that Europe should use its reserves.

Transport minister Keir Mather said the UK had a wide-range of sources of fuel, and that the Government is working with European countries over supply.

Mr Mather said on Friday: “I want to reassure people this morning that the United Kingdom has got a diverse range of supply when it comes to diesel.

“We have resilience built into our system for that reason. We are working very closely with our US counterparts to stress the importance of that relationship, and the importance of sustaining flows of diesel around the world, but also working through international fora in the International Energy Agency and partners in Europe from whom we get a proportion of our diesel imports as well.”

He added: “Although prices have gone up at the pump, the Government is aware of that and the freeze in fuel duty is still in place. People shouldn’t be concerned about shortages because of the inherent resilience that is built into that system.”

Under questioning from Nick Ferrari on LBC on whether he agreed with President Trump about European diesel reserves, he said: “We’re working closely with our European partners on diesel supply. It means we’re continuing those discussions about how we retain our resilience and robustness of our supply chains.

“President Trump is welcome to make those comments, we’ve got to focus here at home about ensuring that we have diversity of supply into our economy.

"Our European partners are absolutely central to that, particularly the flows of diesel coming through the Netherlands.”