Cheapest fuel prices in Northern Ireland: Here are the cheapest places to buy diesel and petrol in NI

Cost of living in Northern Ireland has been spiralling, with the latest fuel increases hitting many homes in Northern Ireland.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has seen oil prices rise to their highest rates in a decade and fuel costs rise to new levels at the pumps.

In Northern Ireland, the Consumer Council updates its Fuel Price Index weekly, to let consumers know what the average prices they can expect to pay.

The weekly fuel checker tool reviews 86 forecourts around Northern Ireland and works out the average costs of petrol and diesel.

Here are the cheapest areas for fuel in Northern Ireland according to the Northern Ireland Consumer Council.

Where is the cheapest place in Northern Ireland to get petrol?

According to the latest data from Thursday, March 17, the cheapest place in Northern Ireland to get petrol is Carrickfergus, with the cheapest pump prices coming in at,154.9p up nearly 10 pence from the cheapest price of 146.9p last week in Belfast.

Where is the cheapest place in Northern Ireland to get diesel?

According to the latest data from Thursday, March 17, the cheapest place in Northern Ireland to get diesel is Limavady, with the cheapest pump prices coming in at 162.9p.

Cheapest places for petrol in Northern Ireland:

These are the cheapest places for petrol in Northern Ireland according to the latest data from the Northern Ireland Consumer Council.

Carrickfergus - 154.9p

Bangor - 156.9p

Limavady - 157.9p

Strabane - 57.9p

Newtownabbey -158.9p

Belfast - 158.9p

Ballymena - 159.9p

Newtownards - 159.9p

Newry - 159.9p

Antrim - 159.9p

Banbridge - 159.9p

Londonderry - 159.9p

Omagh - 160.6p

Cookstown - 160.7p

Coleraine - 160.7p

Ballyclare - 160.7p

Enniskillen - 160.7p

Portadown - 160.7p

Ballycastle - 160.9p

Craigavon - 160.9p

Dungannon - 162.9p

Lisburn - 164.9p

Armagh - 164.9p

Newcastle - 164.9p

Magherafelt - 164.9p

Downpatrick - 165.9p

Ballymoney - 166.9p

Cheapest prices for diesel in Northern Ireland:

These are the cheapest places for diesel in Northern Ireland according to the latest data from the Northern Ireland Consumer Council.

Limavady - 162.9p

Bangor - 163.9p

Dungannon - 164.9p

Ballymena - 166.9p

Carrickfergus - 168.9p

Armagh - 169.9p

Strabane - 169.9p

Newtownards - 170.7p

Ballyclare - 170.7p

Coleraine - 170.9p

Belfast - 171p

Omagh - 163.7p

Enniskillen - 172.7p

Portadown - 172.7p

Cookstown - 172.7p

Newcastle - 172.9p

Antrim - 172.9p

Londonderry - 172.9p

Lisburn - 172.9p

Newtownabbey - 172.9p

Newry - 173.9p

Banbridge - 173.9p

Craigavon - 173.9p

Downpatrick - 174.9p

Magherafelt - 174.9p

Ballycastle - 176.9p

Ballymoney - 176.9p

Why do prices vary in Northern Ireland?

Prices in Northern Ireland may vary depending on when the petrol station bought their fuel.

Some stations bough fuel before the sharp increases, so are able to sell it at a cheaper price.

You can check the current cheapest fuel prices near you on the Consumer Council's fuel price checker here.

To calculate the cost of travel throughout Northern Ireland, the Transport Knowledge Hub can be found here.

Tips to save fuel from the Consumer Council

The Consumer Council has released some tips to help you save fuel, they recommend:

Keep your tyres inflated - reduce the drag.

Declutter your car - less weight means less fuel.

Don’t fill your car up – fuel is heavy.

Brake and accelerate less – they burn fuel.

Avoid stopping and starting where possible – roll up slowly.

What about the cut in excise duty in Ireland?

Ireland has cut the excise duty on fuel to prevent spiralling costs, but there has not yet been a plan to do this in the UK.

In the cut, petrol is reduced by 20 cents per litre and diesel is reduced by 15 cents per litre.

However, it will take a while until drivers in Ireland will see the cheaper prices, as many petrol stations are still selling the fuel they bought at the higher price.

More from the News Letter:

Oil Prices Northern Ireland: Here are the cheapest places in Northern Ireland to buy home heating oil

Oil prices NI: Why are home heating oil prices rising across Northern Ireland?