Diesel hits record 199p a litre as Middle East conflict lifts costs
Diesel reached an average of 199.18p per litre across the UK, the RAC said on 28 September 2026. It is an all-time high. The motoring organisation said the continuing war in the Middle East was pushing up fuel costs, a point examined by the BBC's Faisal Islam in analysis of why prices could rise further. RAC BBC
The BBC put average pump prices on 28 September at around £1.74 per litre for unleaded petrol and £1.99 per litre for diesel. BBC The new RAC figure passed the previous all-time high of 199.09p per litre identified by the organisation three days earlier. RAC
RAC figures dated 23 September listed average petrol at 173.08p per litre and diesel at 197.31p per litre, compared with 132.83p and 142.38p respectively on 28 February. RAC On 14 September the RAC said the cost of filling a 55-litre family car had exceeded £93 for unleaded petrol and exceeded £105 for diesel. RAC The release announcing the record names Simon Williams as RAC head of policy.
On wholesale markets, where fuel is bought in bulk before it reaches forecourts, Reuters reported that European diesel futures closed at an all-time high in the week before 21 September, having more than doubled since the start of 2026. Reuters Futures are prices agreed now for delivery later, so they often signal what drivers may pay next. Reuters reported separately that European diesel futures hit $210 a barrel in the week to 18 September, while average US diesel prices crossed $6 per gallon for the first time on 10 September. Reuters The Guardian reported on 21 September that the average UK diesel price had risen by 38% to 196.28p per litre since the Middle East crisis began. The Guardian Earlier BBC reporting linked the rise to fallout from the US-Israel war with Iran.
The government publishes its own weekly road fuel prices table. It reports unleaded petrol (ULSP) and unleaded diesel (ULSD), with ULSD defined in the data as Ultra low sulphur diesel. The Weekly road fuel prices (CSV) 2018 to 2026 dataset was updated on 22 September 2026, and the Road fuel and other petroleum product prices collection lists Weekly road fuel prices dated 22 September 2026 as Accredited official statistics, meaning they meet set standards for quality. GOV.UK A parallel National Data Library dataset on petrol and diesel prices provides weekly average UK prices under the UK Open Government Licence and is also dated 22 September 2026. A release announcement for Road fuel prices: 14 September 2026 covering weekly prices was published on 4 September 2025.
The broader context here is about more than private cars. The gap between 199.18p and 199.09p is narrow, but it confirms the direction of travel. Diesel is used in vans, haulage, agriculture and public-service fleets. A sustained high price for ULSD compared with ULSP feeds into operating costs that government departments, local authorities and devolved administrations will see in procurement and contracted services, even where transport policy itself is devolved. Whitehall watchers will read the RAC series alongside the accredited official series to test pass-through from futures to forecourt, and to judge pressure on inflation and on household budgets already exposed to energy costs.
In my view the point to watch is duration. A brief spike allows retailers, hauliers and the Treasury to treat this as volatility. A plateau near £2 per litre changes behaviour on discretionary mileage, freight rates and support demands. The futures curve, not the forecourt snapshot, will shape that judgment.
