UK Local Fuel Prices: Why They Matter

How much do petrol prices vary across the UK?

According to BEIS (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero) data, petrol prices at UK forecourts vary by as much as 15–20p per litre between the cheapest and most expensive areas on any given day.

Supermarket forecourts — which account for a growing share of UK fuel sales — typically undercut branded forecourts by 5–8p per litre. In remote areas of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and rural Wales, prices can be 10–15p per litre higher than in major urban centres.

A 10p/litre difference on a 10,000-mile, 45-MPG car equates to approximately £101 per year in extra fuel costs — enough to materially shift the EV vs petrol comparison.

Electricity price variation is even larger

Home electricity tariffs in the UK range from about 22p/kWh on some fixed-rate deals to over 35p/kWh on standard variable tariffs. Specialist EV overnight tariffs can be as low as 7p/kWh (e.g. Octopus Go off-peak rate).

The difference between charging at 7p/kWh overnight vs paying 75p/kWh at a rapid public charger is dramatic:

This means the charging rate you use has a bigger impact on EV running costs than the cost of electricity itself — or indeed the efficiency of the EV. The calculator lets you adjust both rates and set the home vs public split.

Postcode-based pricing: how it works

Our calculator accepts a UK postcode to look up your geographic location. Currently this is used to:

• →Identify your region (e.g. London, South West, Scotland)
• →Fetch live local petrol and diesel prices from forecourts within 10 km of your postcode
• →Identify proximity to major public charging networks

The postcode is sent to the free postcodes.io API to retrieve your geographic coordinates and region. It is not stored on our servers. Read our privacy policy for details.

When you enter your postcode and click Calculate, the calculator fetches live local petrol and diesel prices from forecourts near you using official CMA Fuel Finder data. If no nearby stations are found, it falls back to national averages — you can then adjust the price manually using PetrolPrices.com or your local supermarket app.

Adjusting prices manually

For even more accuracy beyond the automatic postcode lookup, you can also override prices manually:

1. Checking your local pump price — apps like PetrolPrices.com, Waze, or GasBuddy show prices at your nearest forecourts.
2. Finding your electricity unit rate— check your last energy bill, or look at your energy provider's online account.
3. Identifying your public charging rate — check the network app you use most frequently (Osprey, Gridserve, Pod Point, Blink, etc.).
4. Setting your home charge % — be realistic. Drivers without a home charger, or without off-street parking, may charge mostly in public.