Petrol and diesel prices near me: UK Secretary of State for Transport looks to Northern Ireland Consumer Council to keep forecourt prices down in England

The NI Fuel Price Checker, run by the NI Consumer Council is a regularly updated table comparing petrol and diesel prices across Northern Ireland, which enables consumers to know whether the price they see on the forecourt in front of them is worth stopping for.

Jerome Mayhew, the Conservative MP for Broadland, told the Commons on Thursday that rural areas such as his are disproportionately affected by high fuel costs due to limited public transport and little forecourt competition.

"I have been very struck by the effectiveness of the price comparison requirement used in Northern Ireland to consistently have lower forecourt prices," he added. "Is this a policy that we are considering here in England?"

Secretary of State for Transport Anne-Marie Trevelyan said her own constituency and others like it faces similar problems.

"My honourable friend is right. The price of fuel in Northern Ireland has indeed been historically lower than the rest of the UK for a number of reasons but we absolutely consider that the fuel price checker which is provided by the Consumer Council in Northern Ireland, along with cross border competition with those petrol stations in Ireland... are indeed part of the reason for those lower costs, and we are considering that possibility to help us assess our own [prices]."

Luke Bosdet, AA spokesman on pump prices, told the News Letter: "The Northern Ireland Consumer Council Price Checker has blazed a trail for the rest of the UK and the Competition and Markets Authority is now looking to build on its success with a similar UK-wide price reporting which could operate in real time."

He said that on 10 October the average NI price for diesel and petrol were 177.24p and 158.77p for petrol, compared to the noticeably higher UK average of 182.17p and 162.78p respectively.

He suggested that www.consumercouncil.org.uk/fuelpricechecker could be used in conjunction with the AA App or www.petrolprices.com to locate the cheapest deal in your locale.

Richard Williams, Head of Transport at the Consumer Council, said: “In September 2020, the Consumer Council launched a free online Fuel Price Checker to help consumers in Northern Ireland shop around when buying petrol and diesel. The Fuel Price Checker allows consumers to check the highest, lowest and average price of petrol and diesel in their area to ensure they are getting the best value when topping up their tank.

“The aim of the tool was to help consumers save money by making more informed decisions when purchasing petrol or diesel for their vehicle, as our research showed a decrease in the number of consumers in Northern Ireland who shop around for their fuel.

“As the tool has increased transparency for Northern Ireland consumers in respect of fuel prices and allowed them shop around, this may have contributed to keeping fuel prices here lower than the UK average. However, there are other factors contributing to fuel prices such as supplier costs, and the business models of the retailers.”

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