Petrol is down 3.6p from its October peak but diesel only 1.6p, and the gap has widened to 27.4p a litre

Petrol prices have fallen for a month while diesel has barely moved, and the gap between them is the widest British Fuel Prices has recorded. In the latest official Fuel Finder data (2 November 2026), unleaded E10 averaged 171.3p, down 3.6p from its peak of 174.9p, reached on 2 October and held to 7 October. Diesel averaged 198.7p, down only 1.6p from its peak of 200.3p (3 to 5 October). Diesel now costs 27.4p a litre more than petrol, against 21.5p on 10 September, when our records begin.

The government's own weekly series shows the same pattern. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) put diesel 25.80p a litre above petrol in the week of 2 November 2026 (diesel 198.58p, petrol 172.78p), the widest gap since the week of 25 May 2026. Only nine weeks since the series began in June 2003 have had a wider gap, all of them between 30 March and 25 May 2026. The 2026 high was 33.97p in the week of 13 April; in January and February the gap was between 9.18p and 9.86p.

What the data shows

• Our daily averages, latest official Fuel Finder data (2 November 2026): unleaded E10 171.3p, diesel (B7) 198.7p. Since the early-October peaks petrol is down 3.6p and diesel 1.6p.
• The diesel premium: 27.4p a litre, up from 21.5p on 10 September and the widest in our records. On a 55-litre tank that is £15.07 more for diesel than petrol, against £11.83 on 10 September.
• Government weekly figures, week of 2 November: diesel 198.58p, petrol 172.78p, gap 25.80p. It was 25.15p the week before and 24.76p the week before that.
• Diesel is slower to move. Only 3,739 of the 8,061 forecourts with a diesel price on record (46%) have changed their diesel price in the last 14 days, against 5,973 of 7,944 (75%) for petrol. Retailers must report every change within 30 minutes, so the rest are, on their own reports, charging what they charged a fortnight ago.
• Still over 200p: 1,013 of 6,308 forecourts with a current diesel price (16%) charge 200p a litre or more.
• By region: The gap is wide in every region, from 26.4p in the North West to 28.4p in the North East (London 28.1p, Scotland 27.9p).

Fuel duty

Fuel duty is 52.95p a litre on both fuels. Budget 2026 on 28 October froze it until 1 July 2027, when the 5p cut is due to be reversed and rates uprated by RPI. The OBR's October 2026 forecast puts the rate at 60.59p if that is implemented: 7.64p more, or 9.17p a litre with VAT, £5.04 on a 55-litre tank. Duty is identical for petrol and diesel, so it is not part of the gap between them. See the fuel duty guide.

How the figures work

The official figures are DESNZ's weekly road fuel prices, whose UK series begins in the week of 9 June 2003; the gap is the diesel average minus the petrol average for each week. Our daily figures are British Fuel Prices' analysis of the Fuel Finder data, which forecourts must update within 30 minutes of a price change, and are a different measure from the weekly series: they differ by a point or two, so the two gaps (27.4p and 25.80p) are shown separately. Counting every open forecourt's latest reported price however old, unleaded is down 2.9p since 2 October, diesel down 1.4p since 3 October and the gap 26.7p: the direction is the same, the moves are smaller.

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.
• Government figures. DESNZ weekly road fuel prices, week commencing 2 November 2026, published 3 November 2026: gov.uk/government/statistics/weekly-road-fuel-prices. UK average pump price of ultra low sulphur diesel and unleaded petrol, pence per litre; gap is diesel minus petrol. The series runs from the week of 9 June 2003 (1,222 weekly readings). Nine weeks have had a wider gap than 25.80p, all between 30 March and 25 May 2026; the highest was 33.97p in the week of 13 April 2026.
• Our daily figures. Simple average across every UK forecourt with a price for that fuel (unleaded E10 or diesel B7) reported in the previous 14 days, not weighted by volume, at the end of each day to 2 November 2026: 5,973 forecourts for E10 and 3,739 for diesel. Forecourts with no report for that fuel in 14 days are left out. No price is excluded as an outlier: none is more than 25% from the national median (E10 153.9p to 199.9p, diesel 174.9p to 232.8p). A tank is 55 litres. Peaks are the highest daily averages since our records began on 10 September 2026.
• Counts and regions. Forecourts with a current diesel price, counted with the rule that a forecourt is current if it reported any fuel within 14 days: 6,308, of which 1,013 charge 200p or more. Regional gaps are simple averages of unleaded and diesel at those forecourts, regions with 20 or more of each; they include motorway services and Costco.
• Fuel duty. Budget 2026, paragraph 4.4 (28 October 2026); overview of tax legislation and rates, item 2.18; OBR Economic and fiscal outlook, October 2026, which says that "if implemented" duty would rise from 52.95p to 60.59p a litre on 1 July 2027. 60.59p is the OBR estimate, not a published rate. (60.59 - 52.95) x 1.2 = 9.17p a litre with VAT; x 55 litres = £5.04.
• Data. Our daily averages (CSV), the official weekly series with the gap (CSV), today's figures and the charts and downloads page. Charts free to use with credit.
• 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