Northern Irish fuel price spike: Find out how far a tenner in the tank would take you now compared to one year ago

Meanwhile the DUP is tabling a motion in the Commons, calling on the government to slash fuel tax.

Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart is leading the charge, saying the 5p per litre cut in duty announced in the spring is now not enough.

It all comes against a worsening backdrop, with the Bank of England yesterday predicting that the rate of inflation, now running at 9%, will continue rising to 11% (the bank’s target is for it to stay at 2%).

With fuel being a big driver of inflation, the News Letter has produced the above maps (and more online) to help portray what this actually means for the average motorist.

HOW DID WE DO THIS?

In Northern Ireland, as of June 9, a gallon of petrol cost an average of £8.20, and a gallon of diesel £8.36.

This means a tenner would get you 1.220 gallons of petrol, or 1.196 gallons of diesel.

But one year ago (on June 1, 2021) a gallon of petrol was £5.77, and diesel was £5.87.

So back then, your tenner would have bought you 1.733 gallons of petrol, or 1.704 gallons of diesel.

Next, we’ve taken the example of a Vauxhall Corsa (reportedly the best-selling petrol car of 2022), and filled it up with just £10 of petrol.

We’ve then imagined a round-the-Province trip, going from the ‘Balls on the Falls’ roundabout in Belfast to Londonderry via Omagh.

A Corsa in tip-top condition, driven as efficiently as possible, is meant to run at 54.4 miles per gallon.

And so... with a tenner of petrol in the tank today, that Corsa should take you 66.37 miles – enough to get you from Belfast to Omagh.

But one year ago, it would have been 94.28 miles – enough to take you past Strabane, almost to Newbuldings.

WITH DIESEL POWER:

For the VW Golf diesel car (reportedly the best selling diesel on the market, at least as of 2018), the best-case fuel-consumption scenario is 67.3 MPG.

The News Letter has looked at how far a van will go too, based on the ubiquitous Ford Transit (Custom model at 104BPH), which Whatcar.com says gives 45.6 MPG.

A tenner of diesel in the tank equates to 80.49 miles in that VW Golf today.

But one year ago that would have been 114.68 miles.

And the above Transit van with a tenner of diesel in the tank today would go for 54.54 miles.

But a year ago that would have been 77.70 miles

In a statement accompanying her proposed Commons motion, Mrs Lockhart said yesterday: “More than 50% of cost per litre goes to the Treasury.

“Whilst the 5p per litre cut in the Spring Statement was welcome, the situation now is worse than it was then. My hope is that the Chancellor will act, without delay, to reduce fuel duty, green levies and VAT on fuel.”

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