Have I entered a parallel universe?
Have I entered a parallel universe?
Author
Discussion

V8C

Original Poster:

1,220 posts

239 months

Friday 9th June 2023
quotequote all
PH! What the heck is going on?

I've driven past two fuel garages today where diesel is being sold CHEAPER than petrol.

Now, I'm not the oldest PH'er, but I'm 41 next month and held a license for the last 23 and a half years and I don't think I have ever seen diesel cheaper than petrol. Seems like only a few months ago I was moaning because the usual 5 to 8p a litre fuel price gap had drifted to 20p as a diesel premium.

I know diesel is often cheaper than petrol in continental Europe but I've never seen it in the UK. What on earth is going on!!

BoRED S2upid

21,070 posts

270 months

Friday 9th June 2023
quotequote all
The Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) widely publicised move to quiz supermarket bosses about their sky-high diesel prices appears to have prompted significant falls in prices at the pump, the RAC motoring organisation has reported.

After months of campaigning over sky-high pricing of diesel on supermarket forecourts, the RAC says the CMA’s intervention has seen diesel prices cut by more than 7p a litre.

StuE39

714 posts

147 months

Friday 9th June 2023
quotequote all
Is demand dropping for diesel passenger vehicles with an increase in demand for: petrol, PHEV, EV etc? I haven’t checked data to be honest; just a thought.

No ideas for a name

3,265 posts

116 months

Friday 9th June 2023
quotequote all
V8C said:
I know diesel is often cheaper than petrol in continental Europe but I've never seen it in the UK. What on earth is going on!!
It always used to be cheaper. Just depends how far you go back.


vikingaero

13,401 posts

199 months

Friday 9th June 2023
quotequote all
136.7 for Unleaded
132.7 for Diseasal

at the Asda near work. Amazing when there was previously a >+20p differential.

V8C

Original Poster:

1,220 posts

239 months

Friday 9th June 2023
quotequote all
You must live in one of the reasonable parts of the country. Where I am in cambridgeshire the cheapest diesel is now 142.9 and some garages on major A roads are still at 152.9 but the average for both petrol and diesels seems to now be 145.9

Not sure why we get ripped off and you don't? It's cheaper in Essex, Suffolk, etc but not quite cheap enough to warrant a special journey.

vikingaero

13,401 posts

199 months

Friday 9th June 2023
quotequote all
Mid Kent. Go to East of West Kent and prices are similar to yours.

Jader1973

5,177 posts

230 months

Friday 9th June 2023
quotequote all
Isn’t diesel a by product of making petrol?

So it should always be cheaper because you have to make it.

Taz1111

70 posts

41 months

Friday 9th June 2023
quotequote all
Jader1973 said:
Isn’t diesel a by product of making petrol?

So it should always be cheaper because you have to make it.
Yes, it should be even cheaper

Pica-Pica

16,643 posts

114 months

Friday 9th June 2023
quotequote all
vikingaero said:
136.7 for Unleaded
132.7 for Diseasal

at the Asda near work. Amazing when there was previously a >+20p differential.
How many times does it need saying, ALL petrol is unleaded. It’s E10 or E5 as far as petrol is concerned.

vikingaero

13,401 posts

199 months

Friday 9th June 2023
quotequote all
Pica-Pica said:
vikingaero said:
136.7 for Unleaded
132.7 for Diseasal

at the Asda near work. Amazing when there was previously a >+20p differential.
How many times does it need saying, ALL petrol is unleaded. It’s E10 or E5 as far as petrol is concerned.
All right. Keep you pants on Mr Pedant. biggrin It's simply what the forecourt signs display - UNLEADED, DIESEL or LPG.

Roger Irrelevant

3,391 posts

143 months

Friday 9th June 2023
quotequote all
Jader1973 said:
Isn’t diesel a by product of making petrol?

So it should always be cheaper because you have to make it.
I did wonder about this - AIUI diesel isn't a 'by product' of petrol as such but the amount of both petrol and diesel you can get from a unit amount of crude oil is pretty much fixed. Thus if there are far fewer diesel cars being sold vs petrol you might think the (eventual) relative reduction in demand for diesel would lead to lower prices. Of course the fact that virtually all heavy machinery is still going to run on diesel and will do so for a long time yet will greatly dampen such an effect, but it's still got to be there.

What surprised me was how for the couple of years when diesel was a fair bit more expensive than petrol you saw this being given as a key reason for preferring petrol over diesel; like people had just forgotten the preceding 30-odd years when they cost pretty much the same.

leef44

5,199 posts

183 months

Friday 9th June 2023
quotequote all
Yes, as an apportionment of cost allocation in the refinery process, diesel is cheaper than petrol as a by-product.

It was when higher taxes were added to diesel that it started becoming more expensive at the forecourt.

otolith

69,226 posts

234 months

Friday 9th June 2023
quotequote all
leef44 said:
Yes, as an apportionment of cost allocation in the refinery process, diesel is cheaper than petrol as a by-product.

It was when higher taxes were added to diesel that it started becoming more expensive at the forecourt.
When was that?

These are the historical tax rates, it looks to me like the duty on diesel and petrol has been the same since '94.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hydrocarb...

Pica-Pica

16,643 posts

114 months

Friday 9th June 2023
quotequote all
vikingaero said:
Pica-Pica said:
vikingaero said:
136.7 for Unleaded
132.7 for Diseasal

at the Asda near work. Amazing when there was previously a >+20p differential.
How many times does it need saying, ALL petrol is unleaded. It’s E10 or E5 as far as petrol is concerned.
All right. Keep you pants on Mr Pedant. biggrin It's simply what the forecourt signs display - UNLEADED, DIESEL or LPG.
Look closer, the pumps say E10, E5, or B7.
This is PH, precision counts, and ‘unleaded’ is meaningless for fuel station use.

Super Sonic

14,542 posts

84 months

Friday 9th June 2023
quotequote all
vikingaero said:
Pica-Pica said:
vikingaero said:
136.7 for Unleaded
132.7 for Diseasal

at the Asda near work. Amazing when there was previously a >+20p differential.
How many times does it need saying, ALL petrol is unleaded. It’s E10 or E5 as far as petrol is concerned.
All right. Keep you pants on Mr Pedant. biggrin It's simply what the forecourt signs display - UNLEADED, DIESEL or LPG.
You didn't put diesel though, you put diseasal.

JakeT

6,002 posts

150 months

Friday 9th June 2023
quotequote all
Pica-Pica said:
vikingaero said:
136.7 for Unleaded
132.7 for Diseasal

at the Asda near work. Amazing when there was previously a >+20p differential.
How many times does it need saying, ALL petrol is unleaded. It’s E10 or E5 as far as petrol is concerned.
But I have a station near me that sells 4*? frown

Hopefully this helps us all out too. Hauliers should be pleased.

B'stard Child

31,134 posts

276 months

Friday 9th June 2023
quotequote all
I thought diesel was always a lower price in summer compared to the other seasons due to the reduction in the demand for heating oil?

In the autumn winter and spring the demand for heating oil drives up the price of diesel?

Heaveho

7,540 posts

204 months

Friday 9th June 2023
quotequote all
Pica-Pica said:
How many times does it need saying, ALL petrol is unleaded. It’s E10 or E5 as far as petrol is concerned.
It didn't need saying at all. It's called unleaded, that's why people call it that. The clue's in the name. By your own pedantry, should we differentiate between supermarket and premium diesel when we talk about them?

Edited by Heaveho on Friday 9th June 16:22

jonwm

2,744 posts

144 months

Friday 9th June 2023
quotequote all
Its still 8p difference by me (Tamworth) Morrisons today it was:

138.7 Unleaded
146.7 Diesel

yet 15 miles down the road in Wolverhampton its:

130.7 Unleaded
131.7 Diesel

Its getting close to be worth the drive over to fill up.