UK Fuel Price Index

In the week beginning 2 November 2026, the UK average petrol price was 171.8p a litre (down 1.4p on the week) and diesel averaged 198.2p (down 0.3p on the week), across 8,041 reporting petrol stations.

Brent crude averaged $103.01 a barrel over the week, down $18.16 on the week. Crude is the largest component of the pre-tax pump price, and moves in the oil market typically take two to four weeks to reach UK petrol stations, so a steady barrel points to steadier pump prices in the fortnight ahead.

At this week's averages, a 55-litre fill of a typical family car cost about £94.50 with petrol (£0.76 less than a week earlier) and £109.03 with diesel (£0.16 less than a week earlier). The national average is only half the story: within most towns the spread between the cheapest and dearest petrol station is wider than a week's whole national move, so comparing prices near you usually saves more than waiting for the trend.

Do petrol prices rise faster than they fall when oil prices change? UK weekly data from October 2020 to November 2026 suggests they do. After weeks around fuel-duty changes are excluded, a 10% rise in crude oil prices was typically followed by a 3.7p increase in petrol prices within a month. A 10% fall, by contrast, was followed by a smaller drop of about 2.8p. In other words, pump prices tend to rise quickly when oil gets more expensive, but fall more slowly and by less when it gets cheaper.

This year, week by week, tells a similar story at a finer scale. UK data from January 2026 to October 2026 suggests a 10% rise in crude oil prices was typically followed by a 1.0p rise in petrol prices within a week, 1.7p within a fortnight and 2.1p within a month, with diesel moving faster still (about 2.1p within a week). A 10% fall, by contrast, was followed by a fall of about 0.4p within a month. That is 26 rising weeks of crude against 12 falling weeks - a small sample, so read it as a description of this year rather than a law of the market.

Brent crude fell 24.5% in the ten trading days to 4 November, from $125.39 to $94.62 a barrel. Based on how petrol prices have usually responded, that could mean a drop of around 6.8p a litre over the coming weeks. This is an estimate based on past patterns, not a forecast.

Crude converted at a stated $1.34 to the pound; duty is the 52.95p rate in force since March 2022; VAT is 20% of the final price. Full method and caveats in the data methodology. The complete analysis, charts and tables are in each month's October 2026 report (PDF).