Petrol diesel price gap rising says AA

18/11/11

By Emma McFarnon

Diesel car owners have drawn the short straw, as they are paying more for their fuel than their petrol-guzzling counterparts.

While on average petrol costs 133.7p a litre, having enjoyed a marginal fall between mid-October and mid-November 2011, the price of diesel rose to an average of 140.95p a litre in the same period.

The gap between petrol and diesel prices was revealed by figures from the AA.

AA president Edmund King said: "The fall in the price of oil due to the eurozone crisis had brought some hope of respite for drivers but the opposite has happened for diesel car owners."

Scotland has seen the biggest gap, with petrol 8.2p a litre cheaper than diesel on average.

The most expensive petrol is being sold in London, averaging 134.8p a litre, while diesel car owners suffer the most in Northern Ireland, paying 141.8p a litre.

The cheapest petrol and diesel can be snapped up in Yorkshire and Humberside - petrol averages at 132.8p and diesel 140.3p.

On petrol, the AA said some independent retailers were undercutting neighbouring supermarkets by as much as 3p a litre.