More than 300 fuel stations across the UK are now charging over £2 per litre for diesel, reflecting ongoing upward pressure on fuel costs. This includes several forecourts in Gloucestershire, where prices have recently reached the £2 threshold.
In the past week, 33 additional service stations raised their diesel prices to breach the £2-a-litre mark, bringing the total number of such outlets nationwide to 326. At five of these locations, the price of standard unleaded petrol, typically less expensive than diesel, has also climbed to 199.9p per litre.
For motorists, these increases translate to approximately £110 to fill a standard family car’s tank, representing a rise of at least £30 compared with average fuel costs at the start of 2026.
The surge in fuel prices is linked to geopolitical tensions following the attacks by the US and Israel on Iran in late February, as well as further price hikes from September due to ongoing conflict affecting oil markets.
While around one-third of stations charging over £2 are motorway service areas, elevated prices are also recorded in many suburban and rural locations. In Gloucestershire, Esso stations at Brookthorpe and Lower Wick are among those charging at or above this level.
According to the government’s Fuel Finder service, which compiles daily price information from retailers, the average diesel price nationally is now 195.3p per litre. Standard unleaded petrol averages 172p per litre, both figures reflecting the highest levels since the fuel price spike at the end of 2022 caused by the conflict in Ukraine.
In Gloucestershire, the most affordable petrol is available at the Sainsbury’s garage on St. Ann Way, Gloucester, where petrol is priced at 160.9p per litre. Filling a typical 55-litre tank here would cost around £88, potentially saving drivers up to £20 compared with the most expensive local station, a BP forecourt at Lower Wick, Dursley, where petrol is 196.9p per litre (£108 per tank).
For diesel motorists, the cheapest option in Gloucestershire is also the Sainsbury’s garage in Gloucester, with prices at 181.9p per litre.
Current regional averages show that petrol prices in Gloucestershire are 2.1p per litre lower than the national average of 171.8p, while diesel prices are approximately 2.5p per litre less than the UK average of 196.3p.
Fuel prices vary widely across the country, with a Costco Wholesale station in Sheffield offering the lowest petrol price at 155.9p per litre, contrasted by a Cluanie Inn Hotel filling station in Inverness charging 203.0p per litre - the highest recorded nationally.
The prices cited refer to standard grade petrol (E10) and diesel (B7) and are sourced from major retailers as part of a government initiative to provide transparency and fairness at the pumps.
The figures were accurate as of 4:45am on Saturday, 19 September 2026.