DRIVERS have been warned not to rely on supermarkets to have the cheapest fuel, despite retailers cutting their prices.
The average price of petrol fell in July by nearly 9p to 182.9p a litre, according to the RAC.
Almost £5 has been shaved off the cost of a 55-litre tank of petrol – down from £105.29 down to £100.48.
While diesel came down by almost 7p a litre – from 199.04p at the start of the month to 192.38 by the end of July.
But the driving experts say the fall in prices was lead by independent retailers, rather than the major supermarkets.
The RAC say the big four major supermarkets – Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s – should be cutting their prices much further.
This is despite all four of the supermarket giants cutting their prices in the last week.
Asda was the first supermarket to slash the price of fuel – and it’s now 12p cheaper than the national average.
While Sainsbury’s cut its fuel in line with Asda by an average of 5p.
Tesco has cut the price of petrol by 6.5p a litre and 4.5p and Morrisons cut prices by an average of 6p.
Based on average wholesale prices last week, the RAC estimates that petrol should be around 167p a litre.
Simon Williams, RAC fuel expert, said drivers are still paying over the odds while wholesale prices continue to fall.
Drivers are paying nearly 39p a tank more than they should be, according to experts.
Simon added: “We saw independent retailers leading the charge with fairer pump prices appearing all around the country which eventually forced the supermarkets to finally implement a more substantial cut.”
How can I save money on fuel?
RAC fuel expert Simon said the best advice for filling up is no longer to assume supermarkets are the cheapest.
He said it’s highly likely you’ll find an independent retailers charging a lower price.
Independents buy new stock less frequently than the supermarkets as they don’t sell as much.
This means they aren’t as well positioned as their rivals to be able to snap up fuel at lower prices when they are sudden market drops.
Drivers rushed to a petrol station in Trago Mills, Devon, after drivers spotted unleaded petrol being sold at 164.9p.
A Texaco petrol station in Walkden, Greater Manchester then claimed to be the “cheapest petrol station” in the UK after selling unleaded petrol at 159.9p a litre.
It can be difficult to spot independent petrol stations, but keeping an eye on local Facebook pages can help you stay aware of prices in your area.
Websites like Petrolprices.com also let you search for petrol stations offering the best prices near you.
It’s free to use for your first 20 searches.
It’s still worth checking petrol prices at supermarkets too though, as they are not set nationally, and prices can change locally to compete worth independent forecourts nearby.
Taking heavy items out of your car can help lessen the load and checking your tyre pressure can all help you increase fuel efficiency.
Or you could try using a loyalty scheme – many petrol stations operate them and they could see you racking up points which could be used to buy your petrol.
Here we spoke to a motoring expert about the TikTok fuel hacks you should try, and the ones to avoid when trying to save money on petrol.
We also put together a guide on how you could save £190 at the petrol station.
To read daily news, click here.
