LONDON: Diesel prices in the United Kingdom have reached a record high as the war involving Iran disrupts global fuel supplies and pushes up international diesel prices, motoring organization RAC said Monday.
The average price of diesel at UK pumps rose to 199.18 pence per liter, surpassing the previous record of 199.09 pence set in June 2022 following the energy shock triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
RAC policy head Simon Williams said filling an average family car now costs nearly £110, about £31 more than before the conflict began.
Higher diesel prices are also increasing transportation and logistics costs for businesses, with diesel widely used in industry, agriculture and freight.
“Only a sustained lower oil price — over several weeks, not days will lead to cheaper prices at the pumps,” Williams said, adding that the government could ease pressure on motorists by reducing fuel duty or value-added tax.
Fuel prices are a major contributor to UK inflation, which reached a five-month high in August, putting further pressure on consumers amid a prolonged cost-of-living crisis.
International diesel prices have risen sharply in recent months because of declining global refining capacity and supply disruptions linked to conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
Prices increased further last week after US President Donald Trump backed a possible ban on US diesel exports, a move that could leave fuel-importing countries such as Britain and other European nations with fewer supply options.
Britain currently has four operating oil refineries with combined crude-processing capacity of about 1 million barrels per day, down from 1.27 million barrels per day across six refineries in 2024.
The UK imports nearly 55% of the diesel it consumes. Diesel accounted for almost 40% of the country's total oil-product imports in 2025, with the United States supplying about 31% of those imports.
