A typical UK car fill costs between £68 and £90 to fill from nearly empty in April 2026. The exact figure depends on your tank size, whether you drive petrol or diesel, and most importantly, where you fill up.
Here is a complete breakdown by car type, plus the practical steps to cut £10–15 off every fill.
Key Takeaways
- Petrol averages 134–138p/litre nationally; diesel runs 140–144p/litre (RAC Fuel Watch, April 2026)
- A typical small car (40-litre tank) costs £54–57 to fill; a family SUV (70-litre tank) costs £95–103
- The cheapest and most expensive stations within 5 miles of each other differ by 25–35p/litre (Competition and Markets Authority, 2024)
- Filling at a supermarket forecourt instead of a motorway service saves £15–20 on a standard fill
- Filling midweek (Tuesday–Wednesday) is consistently cheaper than Friday or Saturday
Fill-up cost by car type (April 2026)
Use these as a realistic reference, calculated at the national average pump price. Your actual cost will vary by a few pounds depending on which station you use.
| Car type | Typical tank size | Petrol fill cost | Diesel fill cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| City car (e.g. Fiat 500, VW Polo) | 35–42 litres | £47–59 | — |
| Small hatchback (e.g. Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa) | 40–44 litres | £54–62 | — |
| Family hatchback (e.g. Ford Focus, VW Golf) | 45–55 litres | £62–78 | £64–80 |
| Family SUV / crossover (e.g. Nissan Qashqai) | 55–65 litres | £75–91 | £78–94 |
| Large SUV (e.g. Land Rover Discovery) | 70–85 litres | £95–120 | £98–123 |
| Van (medium, e.g. Ford Transit) | 70–80 litres diesel | — | £98–115 |
Calculated at 136p/litre petrol and 142p/litre diesel. Fill assumed from 10% remaining.
Why there is a £15–25 difference depending on where you fill up
UK pump prices vary significantly by retailer type. The national average masks a real spread between the cheapest and most expensive options available on any given day.
Supermarket forecourts (Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons) consistently undercut the national average by 3–6p/litre. They operate on thin margins and use fuel pricing as a footfall driver for the main store (Competition and Markets Authority, 2024).
Independent and branded stations (BP, Shell, Esso) typically price 2–8p/litre above supermarkets. Location and local competition drive the variation more than the brand itself.
Motorway services are the most expensive option, consistently pricing 15–25p/litre above the nearest off-motorway station (RAC Fuel Watch, 2026). On a 60-litre fill, that is a £9–15 premium for the convenience of not taking the next junction.
On a 55-litre fill, the difference between the cheapest and most expensive option within a realistic distance looks like this:
| Station type | Typical price (Apr 2026) | 55-litre fill cost |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest local supermarket | 130–133p/litre | £71.50–73.15 |
| National average | 134–138p/litre | £73.70–75.90 |
| Branded forecourt | 138–145p/litre | £75.90–79.75 |
| Motorway services | 155–165p/litre | £85.25–90.75 |
What you are actually paying for
The pump price breaks down into four components. Only one is negotiable by switching station.
- Fuel duty: 52.95p/litre (includes the 5p temporary cut since 2022) (HMRC, 2026)
- VAT at 20%: approximately 22–23p/litre on current prices
- Wholesale cost (crude + refining + distribution): approximately 48–55p/litre
- Retailer margin: 2–18p/litre, depending on station type
Government tax (duty + VAT) accounts for roughly 53% of the pump price. You cannot avoid that portion. The retailer margin is the only component that changes between stations, and it varies by up to 16p/litre between a supermarket and a motorway service.
Annual fuel bill: what you should expect to spend
Annual fuel cost depends on mileage and fuel efficiency as much as pump price.
The average UK driver covers around 7,400 miles per year (Department for Transport, 2024). At typical efficiency figures:
| Car type | Fuel economy | Annual fuel (7,400 miles) | Annual fill cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small petrol hatchback | 45–50 mpg | 1,050–1,165 litres | £1,390–1,580 |
| Family petrol (Focus/Golf) | 38–44 mpg | 1,150–1,305 litres | £1,560–1,770 |
| Family diesel (Focus/Golf) | 45–54 mpg | 925–1,105 litres | £1,315–1,570 |
| Large petrol SUV | 28–34 mpg | 1,465–1,780 litres | £1,990–2,420 |
| Van (medium diesel) | 28–35 mpg | 1,425–1,785 litres | £2,025–2,535 |
How to cut your fill-up cost
These are the four highest-impact steps, ranked by savings potential.
1. Use a price comparison tool before filling up. The 25–35p spread between nearby stations is real and persistent. On a 55-litre fill, using the cheapest station within a reasonable distance instead of the nearest one saves £7–19 per fill. PetrolPal shows live prices from stations near your location so you can check before you leave.
2. Avoid motorway services. If you know you need fuel before a motorway journey, fill up at a forecourt near home or at your destination. The convenience premium at services is £10–20 per fill. This is the single easiest saving for regular motorists.
3. Fill midweek. Station pricing cycles reset through the week. Tuesday and Wednesday are consistently cheaper than Friday and Saturday (Competition and Markets Authority, 2024). If your schedule allows, timing a fill for midweek saves 2–4p/litre on average.
4. Fill more, fill less often. Transaction costs are fixed: you spend time and potentially a short detour for each fill. Filling to 95% rather than topping up at 50% halves the number of trips and keeps you flexible to use the cheapest available station rather than the nearest urgent one.
Diesel vs petrol: which costs more to run?
Diesel costs more per litre at the pump: approximately 5–8p/litre above petrol in April 2026 (RAC Fuel Watch, 2026). However, diesel engines are typically 15–25% more fuel-efficient.
For a driver doing over 12,000 miles per year, a diesel variant is often cheaper to run in fuel terms despite the higher pump price. For lower mileage drivers, petrol typically wins on both purchase price and running cost.
Prices are national averages from RAC Fuel Watch, April 2026. Fill-up costs are illustrative based on typical tank sizes; your actual cost will vary by vehicle, remaining fuel level, and local pump price.