UK Fuel Prices July 2026
Last updated: 30 July 2026 · Source: RAC Fuel Watch
Petrol and diesel both rose sharply through July — diesel climbed around 4p in ten days, petrol nearly 3p — while the Ofgem price cap that took effect on 1 July cut the standard home electricity rate from 28p/kWh to 26.1p/kWh. The combination has pushed the EV home-charging advantage to its widest point in some time. Read the full breakdown on the blog.
Unleaded petrol
153.5p
per litre · UK average
Diesel
168.6p
per litre · UK average
What July 2026 fuel prices mean per mile
| Fuel type / MPG | p/mile | Annual cost (10k mi) |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol — 50 MPG (efficient) | 14.0p | £1396 |
| Petrol — 40 MPG (average) | 17.4p | £1745 |
| Petrol — 30 MPG (older/SUV) | 23.3p | £2326 |
| Diesel — 60 MPG (efficient) | 12.8p | £1277 |
| Diesel — 50 MPG (average) | 15.3p | £1533 |
| EV — home charging (26.1p/kWh, 3.5 mi/kWh) | 7.5p | £746 |
| EV — overnight tariff (7p/kWh, 3.5 mi/kWh) | 2.0p | £200 |
| EV — public rapid only (79p/kWh, 3.5 mi/kWh) | 22.6p | £2,257 |
Context: a good month for home charging, a bad one for public-only EV drivers
UK petrol prices peaked at 191p/litre in July 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent energy market disruption, then fell and stabilised through 2023–2025. The rise to 153.5p/litre this month is the sharpest short-term increase since that period.
At current prices the running cost saving of a home-charging EV versus a 40 MPG petrol car is approximately 9.9p per mile — or around £990 per year at 10,000 miles — noticeably wider than a month ago, mostly because the Ofgem price cap cut the standard electricity rate at the same time petrol rose.
The picture is very different for drivers who rely entirely on public rapid charging: at 79p/kWh, averaged across UK rapid and ultra-rapid networks in mid-2026, an EV without home charging access now costs more per mile than most petrol cars. Whether an EV saves you money in July 2026 depends more than ever on whether you can charge at home.
Local fuel prices vary significantly
The UK averages above mask significant regional variation. Supermarket forecourts in major urban centres typically undercut the national average by 5–10p/litre. Rural and motorway service forecourts typically charge 10–20p/litre more.
The CMA Fuel Finder tool, which powers the local fuel price data on this site, allows you to see current prices at forecourts near any UK postcode.
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