Aggregated UK fleet fuel card data from Allstar, a Corpay company, shows that UK fleet diesel average prices rose by 47.92p per litre between February and April before falling back by 3.49p in May, leaving fleets paying on average 44.43p per litre more than they were in February despite May’s easing.
The movement breaks down as three consecutive monthly shifts: diesel rose 20.97p in March, rose a further 26.95p in April as crude oil price movements continued to feed through to the pump, then fell 3.49p in May. Every region across the UK recorded a fall in the average diesel prices in May but not one has returned to its February or March level.
How have prices moved?
Geopolitical tensions began pushing crude oil prices higher in March, with the impact feeding through to UK pump prices across two successive months. The average diesel price rose 20.97p per litre month on month in March and a further 26.95p in April, reaching 190.13p – its highest point in the period. Average unleaded prices followed the same pattern, rising 10.78p in March and 14.51p in April to peak at 158.00p.
May brought the first month-on-month fall. Diesel eased by 3.49p to an average of 186.64p and unleaded edged up marginally by 0.67p to 158.67p. Despite the partial recovery, UK diesel average remains 44.43p per litre higher than in February, a reminder that while conditions are beginning to ease, costs for fleet operators and drivers remain significantly elevated.
The UK’s seven cheapest diesel regions in May are all in Northern Ireland. Co Londonderry recorded the lowest average at 175.05p per litre, followed by Co Fermanagh (175.36p), Belfast (175.46p), Co Tyrone (175.71p), Co Down (175.94p), Antrim (175.95p) and Armagh (176.19p). The eighth cheapest region, Selkirkshire in Scotland, recorded 178.28p more than 3p above the cheapest Northern Ireland region.
At the other end of the scale, Monmouthshire recorded the highest May diesel average at 190.64p per litre, a notable shift from March and April when the most expensive regions were in Scotland. The gap between the cheapest and most expensive regions stood at 15.59p in May, wider than April’s 12.78p spread, suggesting that while prices are falling nationally, some regions are seeing costs ease much faster than others.
Greater London (187.95p) recorded a May diesel average above the UK national average of 186.64p and has done so in every month of the period. The fastest-recovering regions in May were concentrated in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Borders fell 9.82p month on month, Co Fermanagh fell 8.83p and Selkirkshire fell 8.76p. English regions eased more slowly, with East Sussex recording the smallest fall among English regions at 2.11p.
Paul Holland, Managing Director for UK/ANZ Vehicle Payments, Corpay, including UK brand Allstar, said, ““The three months covered by this data illustrates exactly the kind of fuel price volatility that makes cost management so challenging for fleet operators and drivers. Prices rose sharply in March, rose again by an even larger amount in April and have now begun to ease. But despite that, costs remain dramatically higher than they were at the start of the period.
“The challenge for businesses is no longer simply that fuel is expensive. It is the speed and unpredictability with which prices are moving. When diesel prices can rise by almost 27p in a single month and then reverse course the following month, having real visibility and control over fuel spend becomes essential.
