Diesel prices in the UK are now more expensive than anywhere else in Europe.

According to new data from the RAC, the average price per litre is 155p, which is 5p more than both Ireland and Belgium.

The data revealed that although fuel duty was cut by 5p in 2022, it is still higher in the UK than anywhere else on the continent apart from Italy – although diesel prices in Italy are 7p cheaper than in the UK.

By comparison, petrol prices in the UK are only the 11th most expensive in Europe at 149p per litre.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said:

“We can see no good reason why retailers in Great Britain aren’t cutting their prices at the pumps. It’s important to note that in Northern Ireland, where there is greater competition for fuels in the absence of supermarket dominance, the average price of diesel is just 144.9p – 10p less than the UK average, and petrol is 6p cheaper at 142.4p.

“There is cause for hope for fairer fuel prices in the future as the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act became law [recently], giving new powers to the Competition and Markets Authority to closely monitor road fuel prices and report any sign of malpractice to the Government.”