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Why are diesel prices rising much faster than petrol prices at the pump

ended 13. March 2026

Request for the Express/Mirror/Star.

Petrol prices have gone up over 3.5p a litre in just one week, data shows.

But diesel is rising even faster. It rose by nearly 7p a litre, the highest it's been since August 2024. Diesel has jumped to 149.01p a litre, up from 142.15p last week.

The average price at the pump for petrol is now 135.67p a litre, up from 132.14p last week. It is at its highest since December last year.

  • Why is diesel rising faster than petrol?
  • Is diesel more susceptible to rises in oil prices?
  • Any other reasons?

Responses by 8am tomorrow.

3 responses from the Newspage community

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Editor
Steven Greenall
Mortgage and Protection Advisor at Protect & Lend
Put simply Diesel is a more complex carbon product. It is more expensive to refine from crude oil then petrol, the UK are more dependent on the importation of diesel then petrol and margins are increased more then petrol at the pump.
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Rohit Parmar-Mistry
Founder at Pattrn Data
Diesel is not just ‘oil plus tax’. At the pump it is driven by the middle distillate market (diesel, jet fuel, heating oil), and that market can tighten even when petrol is relatively well supplied.

Right now diesel is likely seeing a wider ‘crack’ spread: refiners are charging more margin to turn crude into diesel because inventories are lower and supply is less flexible. HGVs, vans, construction and logistics keep demand steady, while jet fuel competes for the same refinery output. Maintenance or unplanned outages hit diesel harder.

Geopolitics matters too. The current Iran war is pushing up risk premia via shipping disruption, insurance costs and shifting trade flows.

There is also a political economy angle. Decades of neoliberal privatisation mean the UK is largely a price taker. If strategic energy assets like BP were still publicly owned, we would arguably be less beholden to global market swings, a legacy of the Thatcher era.
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Dawn Maria France
Editor-in-Chief at Yorkshire Women's Life Magazine
Petrol and diesel prices in the UK are rising sharply, causing concern among drivers. Petrol has increased by over 3.5p per litre to an average of 135.67p, while diesel has surged nearly 7p to 149.01p per litre.

This increase is placing financial strain on households as they adjust their budgets.

Contributing factors include heightened transportation demand, fluctuations in global oil prices, and refinery challenges. The transition to greener fuels is also adding to market volatility.

As the cost-of-living crisis worsens, many drivers find public transportation unreliable, making car ownership essential. This situation highlights the need to acknowledge the financial pressures drivers are experiencing.