Price Pulse · Week ending 16 August 2026
Petrol fell 0.4p and diesel held steady in the week to 16 August 2026
The equal-station UK average ended the week at 161.1p per litre across 7,894 stations. The equal-station UK average ended the week at 181.7p per litre across 8,010 stations.
Petrol (E10)
161.1p/L
7,894 prices; 7,884 in the like-for-like weekly comparison.
Diesel (B7)
181.7p/L
8,010 prices; 7,996 in the like-for-like weekly comparison.
Premium petrol (E5)
178.3p/L
6,306 prices; 6,298 in the like-for-like weekly comparison.
Premium diesel
198.7p/L
4,257 prices; 4,254 in the like-for-like weekly comparison.
The week in one sentence
Petrol (E10) fell 0.4p. The equal-station UK average ended the week at 161.1p per litre across 7,894 stations.
30-day movement
The national price line
View the chart as a data table
| Date | Petrol | Diesel | Stations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Jul 2026 | 153.0p | 167.9p | 7841 |
| 24 Jul 2026 | 157.0p | 174.5p | 7858 |
| 31 Jul 2026 | 160.2p | 179.5p | 7874 |
| 7 Aug 2026 | 161.5p | 181.8p | 7884 |
| 14 Aug 2026 | 161.1p | 181.7p | 7894 |
| 16 Aug 2026 | 161.1p | 181.7p | 7894 |
Analysis
What this means for drivers
Petrol (E10) fell 0.4p
The equal-station UK average ended the week at 161.1p per litre across 7,894 stations.
Diesel (B7) held steady
The equal-station UK average ended the week at 181.7p per litre across 8,010 stations.
Nicholl had the lowest retailer petrol average
Its measured average was 150.7p per litre across 5 stations.
CA postcode area was the fastest-rising petrol area
The postcode-area average increased 0.3p to 161.5p per litre.
Motorway petrol carried a 14.7p premium
That is about £8.09 on a 55-litre fill compared with non-motorway stations.
Supermarket petrol averaged 2.0p less
The measured gap equates to about £1.10 on a 55-litre fill.
Retailer watch
Petrol retailer ranking
Current weekly close ranked from lowest to highest, with changes calculated on the same comparison stations.
| Retailer | Average | 7-day | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholl | 150.7p | +0.4p over seven days | 5 current / 5 compared |
| Emo | 152.0p | -1.5p over seven days | 14 current / 14 compared |
| Costco | 153.1p | -0.2p over seven days | 21 current / 21 compared |
| Maxol | 153.1p | -1.2p over seven days | 89 current / 89 compared |
| Circle K | 154.0p | -0.3p over seven days | 48 current / 48 compared |
| Solo | 155.9p | +1.0p over seven days | 6 current / 6 compared |
| Total Energies | 157.9p | -0.7p over seven days | 10 current / 10 compared |
| Applegreen | 158.0p | 0.0p over seven days | 13 current / 13 compared |
| Essar | 159.2p | -1.4p over seven days | 45 current / 45 compared |
| Tesco | 159.4p | -0.4p over seven days | 519 current / 519 compared |
| Co-op | 159.5p | -0.3p over seven days | 20 current / 20 compared |
| Sainsbury's | 159.5p | -1.4p over seven days | 316 current / 316 compared |
| Morrisons | 159.6p | -0.7p over seven days | 340 current / 340 compared |
| Harvest Energy | 159.7p | -0.5p over seven days | 48 current / 48 compared |
| Jet | 159.7p | -0.7p over seven days | 310 current / 310 compared |
| Murco | 159.7p | -0.4p over seven days | 169 current / 169 compared |
| Texaco | 159.8p | -0.2p over seven days | 527 current / 525 compared |
| Asda | 159.9p | -0.4p over seven days | 405 current / 405 compared |
| Valero | 160.2p | -0.7p over seven days | 148 current / 148 compared |
| EG | 160.3p | -1.1p over seven days | 147 current / 147 compared |
| Gulf | 161.0p | -0.5p over seven days | 295 current / 292 compared |
| Pace | 161.7p | +0.2p over seven days | 45 current / 45 compared |
| Esso | 162.1p | -0.5p over seven days | 1,457 current / 1,457 compared |
| BP | 163.4p | -0.3p over seven days | 1,097 current / 1,097 compared |
| Gleaner | 163.6p | -0.6p over seven days | 27 current / 27 compared |
| Shell | 163.8p | -0.2p over seven days | 918 current / 918 compared |
| Central Convenience | 167.0p | +7.2p over seven days | 18 current / 18 compared |
Local movement
Petrol postcode-area movers
Only areas with at least five like-for-like station prices are shown.
Fastest rising
- CA postcode area+0.3p
- G postcode area+0.2p
- IP postcode area+0.2p
- DT postcode area+0.2p
- RG postcode area+0.1p
Fastest falling
- HS postcode area-4.5p
- ZE postcode area-4.0p
- TD postcode area-2.7p
- KW postcode area-2.1p
- HR postcode area-1.2p
Supermarket gap
2.0p/L
Supermarket petrol averaged this much less than other measured stations, about £1.10 on 55 litres.
Motorway premium
14.7p/L
The measured motorway petrol premium, about £8.09 on a 55-litre fill.