Fuel duty: the current rate, its history and what a change costs
Fuel duty is 52.95p a litre on both petrol and diesel, unchanged since the week of 28 Mar 2022, the lowest rate since the week of 30 Mar 2009. It is a fixed amount per litre, whatever the price of fuel. VAT at 20% is then charged on the price including duty, so every penny of duty costs 1.2p at the pump. In the week of 19 Oct 2026, duty and VAT made up 47.0% of the price of a litre of unleaded.
What a change in fuel duty costs you
Assuming the change reaches the pump in full, with VAT on top.
A 5p rise in fuel duty would add 6p to a litre once VAT is added: £3.00 more on a 50-litre fill, £1.80 a week and £93.60 a year at 30 litres a week.
The yearly figure assumes 30 litres a week, about one 50-litre fill every 12 days. Change it above to match your own driving. Retailers set their own prices, so a change in duty may reach the pump in part, in full or late. The default shown is a 5p rise; it is an example, not a forecast.
What it means where you fill up
Today's average unleaded price, the tax in it, and the price after a 5p rise in duty.
| Where | Unleaded today | Duty and VAT in it | After a 5p rise | 50 litres after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 165.5p | 80.5p (48.7%) | 171.5p | £85.75 |
| Wales | 173.0p | 81.8p (47.3%) | 179.0p | £89.50 |
| England | 173.9p | 81.9p (47.1%) | 179.9p | £89.95 |
| Scotland | 174.3p | 82.0p (47.0%) | 180.3p | £90.15 |
| London | 173.7p | 81.9p (47.2%) | 179.7p | £89.85 |
| Birmingham | 173.2p | 81.8p (47.2%) | 179.2p | £89.60 |
| Glasgow | 173.1p | 81.8p (47.3%) | 179.1p | £89.55 |
| Bristol | 173.0p | 81.8p (47.3%) | 179.0p | £89.50 |
| Belfast | 165.4p | 80.5p (48.7%) | 171.4p | £85.70 |
| Manchester | 172.6p | 81.7p (47.3%) | 178.6p | £89.30 |
| Liverpool | 172.8p | 81.8p (47.3%) | 178.8p | £89.40 |
| Leeds | 170.9p | 81.4p (47.6%) | 176.9p | £88.45 |
| Nottingham | 170.5p | 81.4p (47.7%) | 176.5p | £88.25 |
| Leicester | 173.9p | 81.9p (47.1%) | 179.9p | £89.95 |
| Sheffield | 172.8p | 81.8p (47.3%) | 178.8p | £89.40 |
| Norwich | 173.9p | 81.9p (47.1%) | 179.9p | £89.95 |
| Stoke-on-trent | 171.8p | 81.6p (47.5%) | 177.8p | £88.90 |
| Preston | 172.2p | 81.7p (47.4%) | 178.2p | £89.10 |
| Reading | 175.8p | 82.3p (46.8%) | 181.8p | £90.90 |
| Coventry | 173.2p | 81.8p (47.2%) | 179.2p | £89.60 |
| Doncaster | 171.9p | 81.6p (47.5%) | 177.9p | £88.95 |
| Hull | 173.1p | 81.8p (47.3%) | 179.1p | £89.55 |
| Northampton | 175.6p | 82.2p (46.8%) | 181.6p | £90.80 |
| Southampton | 176.0p | 82.3p (46.8%) | 182.0p | £91.00 |
Averages of prices changed in the last 30 days, from every station reporting to Fuel Finder. Nation figures include motorway services; town figures leave them out, as on the town pages. The 20 towns are those with the most stations; every other town is on the towns page. Duty is the same everywhere, so tax takes a larger share where fuel is cheaper.
Fuel duty since 2003
Weekly UK average unleaded price and the duty in it, pence per litre, 9 Jun 2003 to 19 Oct 2026.
- Unleaded
- Fuel duty
The rate has changed 11 times since 2003: 9 rises and 2 cuts. It started the series at 45.82p and peaked at 58.95p from the week of 3 Jan 2011. The longest stretch without a change ran 10 years and 11 months, at 57.95p, from the week of 28 Mar 2011 to the week of 21 Mar 2022. The current rate has held for 4 years and 6 months.
| Rate | From the week of | Held for | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 52.95p | 28 Mar 2022 | 4 years and 6 months so far | ▼ 5.00p |
| 57.95p | 28 Mar 2011 | 10 years and 11 months | ▼ 1.00p |
| 58.95p | 3 Jan 2011 | 2 months | ▲ 0.76p |
| 58.19p | 4 Oct 2010 | 2 months | ▲ 1.00p |
| 57.19p | 5 Apr 2010 | 5 months | ▲ 1.00p |
| 56.19p | 7 Sep 2009 | 6 months | ▲ 2.00p |
| 54.19p | 6 Apr 2009 | 4 months | ▲ 1.84p |
| 52.35p | 1 Dec 2008 | 3 months | ▲ 2.00p |
| 50.35p | 1 Oct 2007 | 1 year and 1 month | ▲ 2.00p |
| 48.35p | 11 Dec 2006 | 9 months | ▲ 1.25p |
| 47.10p | 6 Oct 2003 | 3 years and 1 month | ▲ 1.28p |
| 45.82p | 9 Jun 2003(start of the series) | 3 months | — |
VAT changed 3 times over the same period: from 17.5% to 15% in the week of 1 Dec 2008, from 15% to 17.5% in the week of 4 Jan 2010 and from 17.5% to 20% in the week of 10 Jan 2011.
Dates are the first Monday a rate appears in the weekly series, which can be a few days after it took effect.
How much of a litre is tax, year by year
Unleaded, average of the weekly figures. VAT is charged on the price including duty.
| Year | Unleaded | Duty | VAT | Tax share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 202642 weeks | 152.7p | 52.95p | 25.45p | 51.3% |
| 2025 | 135.0p | 52.95p | 22.51p | 55.9% |
| 2024 | 141.5p | 52.95p | 23.58p | 54.1% |
| 2023 | 147.7p | 52.95p | 24.61p | 52.5% |
| 2022 | 164.6p | 54.10p | 27.44p | 49.5% |
| 2021 | 131.4p | 57.95p | 21.90p | 60.8% |
| 2020 | 114.1p | 57.95p | 19.02p | 67.5% |
| 2019 | 125.0p | 57.95p | 20.83p | 63.0% |
| 2018 | 125.0p | 57.95p | 20.84p | 63.0% |
| 2017 | 117.5p | 57.95p | 19.59p | 66.0% |
| 2016 | 108.9p | 57.95p | 18.16p | 69.9% |
| 2015 | 111.0p | 57.95p | 18.51p | 68.9% |
| 2014 | 127.4p | 57.95p | 21.24p | 62.1% |
| 2013 | 134.3p | 57.95p | 22.39p | 59.8% |
| 2012 | 135.8p | 57.95p | 22.63p | 59.4% |
| 2011 | 133.4p | 58.18p | 22.19p | 60.2% |
| 2010 | 116.9p | 57.19p | 17.41p | 63.8% |
| 2009 | 99.6p | 54.38p | 12.99p | 67.6% |
| 2008 | 107.0p | 50.54p | 15.78p | 62.0% |
| 2007 | 94.5p | 48.88p | 14.07p | 66.6% |
| 2006 | 91.4p | 47.17p | 13.61p | 66.5% |
| 2005 | 86.8p | 47.10p | 12.93p | 69.2% |
| 2004 | 80.3p | 47.10p | 11.95p | 73.6% |
| 200330 weeks | 75.6p | 46.37p | 11.26p | 76.2% |
The full price series, with records and diesel, is on the UK petrol price history page.
Source
Duty rates, VAT rates and weekly prices from Weekly road fuel prices, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, last published 20 Oct 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The series is published every Tuesday and this page follows it automatically: a new rate shows here from the first Monday it applies, once that week is published. Local prices come from Fuel Finder and are updated every three hours.