Customers who buy petrol at some of the UK's largest supermarkets have been issued a warning over high fuel prices.
According to a new analysis by the RAC, independent fuel retailers have begun leading the way to charge a "fair price" for petrol and diesel. A spokesperson for the company said people buying fuel at the big four UK supermarkets - Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury's - could be getting their fuel cheaper elsewhere and "have every right" to feel as though they are being overcharged.
The RAC's investigation found that only 4 per cent of forecourts are currently charging below 180p per litre for petrol. Only one out of five of those sites are owned by either a supermarket or oil company while the rest are independently-owned. Meanwhile, more than three-quarters of the 5 per cent of filling stations selling diesel for less than 190p per litre are independently-owned.
Read more: The cheapest petrol prices in every Greater Manchester borough
While supermarkets have traditionally been the first to cut fuel prices, the RAC said the average price that retailers pay to buy petrol has fallen by 17p per litre from the start of June. This is despite the fact that pump prices have only dropped by "a paltry 4p".
Due to these figures, the RAC believes that drivers should only be charged around 174p per litre for petrol and 189p per litre for diesel. However, the latest Experian figures show the average price of a litre of petrol on Wednesday was 187.5p, while diesel was 196.1p.
RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “In this most expensive of summers, drivers need all the help they can get to keep their spending down. We applaud those retailers who are doing the right thing for their customers and charging a fair price for petrol and diesel, more in line with the lower wholesale costs.
“It appears to be the case that it’s no longer the big four supermarkets that lead on price, but instead smaller independent sites that are prepared to buck the national forecourt trend. Drivers who fill up at supermarket forecourts have every right to feel that they are being charged well over the odds for petrol and diesel right now.”
AA fuel price spokesman Luke Bosdet claimed the ability of “maverick fuel stations with awesome prices” to influence other retailers in their area is limited.
He said: “The locals will know about them, passing drivers will discover them and the fuel price search apps will find them if the search is in the right place. However, it will take the level of fuel price transparency that is available to drivers in Northern Ireland, courtesy of the Consumer Council’s Fuel Price Checker, to resurrect the degree of competition enjoyed before the pandemic.”
It comes after a petrol station in Greater Manchester slashed its prices last week to help customers during the cost of living crisis. Huge queues formed outside the Limes Service Station in Walkden after bosses announced the forecourt would be selling petrol at 169.9p per litre - around 20p cheaper than the national average.
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