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Press release · 6 October 2026 · figures frozen at the date of release
Diesel hits a record high, and searches for cheap fuel have quadrupled
The government's weekly average reached 199.52p a litre, beating the July 2022 peak, as drivers search four times as often for the cheapest pump nearby
The average price of diesel in the UK has reached a record high, according to the government's weekly road fuel price figures published today. In the week of 5 October 2026 diesel averaged 199.52p a litre, beating the previous record of 199.22p set in the week of 4 July 2022.
At the same time, drivers are searching for cheaper fuel as never before. Google's own keyword data shows UK searches for "petrol prices near me" ran at 110,000 a month in August, four times the 27,100 of August 2025. Searches for "cheap diesel near me" rose fourfold over the same period, from 8,100 to 33,100 a month, and "cheapest petrol near me" from 27,100 to 74,000.
Six months of rises
Diesel has risen by 57.4p a litre since the week of 2 March, when it averaged 142.15p. Filling a typical 55-litre tank now costs £109.74, against £78.18 at the start of March: £31.56 more.
The steepest climb came in March and April, when diesel rose by 50p in six weeks. Search interest in fuel prices peaked at the same time, at more than twice its level during the 2022 fuel price crisis, according to Google Trends. It has doubled again since the summer as prices have climbed back.
Petrol, at 174.88p a litre, is still 16.67p below its July 2022 record of 191.55p.
Over £2 at the pump
British Fuel Prices' own daily figures, from the price every UK forecourt reports to the government's Fuel Finder scheme, put average diesel at 200.3p a litre on 5 October, having gone over £2 on 30 September. The government's weekly figure is based on a sample of forecourts and normally sits within a penny of the daily average.
Prices vary widely even within the same town. Supermarket forecourts remain the cheapest on average.
Sam Allcock, editor of British Fuel Prices, said: "Diesel has never been this expensive, and drivers are responding the only way they can, by hunting for the cheapest pump. Searches for cheap fuel nearby have quadrupled in a year. The good news is that the gap between the cheapest and dearest forecourt in most towns is still several pence a litre, and every price is now published, so it pays to check before you fill up."
How the figures work
The record is from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's weekly road fuel prices, published on 6 October 2026, whose UK series begins in 2003. Search volumes are Google Ads monthly estimates for the UK, and search interest is Google Trends (UK), both retrieved on 6 October 2026. Daily prices are British Fuel Prices' analysis of the Fuel Finder data.
Notes to editors
- Source. All prices come from the UK government's Fuel Finder scheme, published under the Open Government Licence. Forecourts are legally required to report a price change within 30 minutes.
- Record. Weekly UK average diesel (DESNZ): 199.52p, week of 5 October 2026; previous high 199.22p, week of 4 July 2022.
- Searches. Google Ads UK monthly search volume, August 2026 against August 2025; Google Trends UK, "petrol prices" and "fuel prices".
- Credit. Source: British Fuel Prices analysis of official Fuel Finder data (britishfuelprices.co.uk). Online, please link to the page the figure came from.
- About British Fuel Prices. An independent site published by Domain Farm Ltd (company number 13544286). No fuel retailer pays for or sees its figures before publication.
- Contact: Sam Allcock, editor, editor@britishfuelprices.co.uk