THEN
Fuel Prices Through Time
What happened before — completed historical periods only, each clearly dated and sourced. For what's happening today, see Live Fuel Prices.
Photo: Simon Carey, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The signature comparison tool
Then vs Now
Choose a historical year and compare it directly against today — with every figure's period made explicit.
| Indicator | Historical (2022) | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 191.6p Week commencing 4 July 2022 (record high for both petrol and diesel) — not an annual average | 168.1p Week commencing 14 September 2026 |
| Diesel | 199.2p Week commencing 4 July 2022 (record high for both petrol and diesel) — not an annual average | 190.7p Week commencing 14 September 2026 |
| Fuel Duty | 52.95p Rate in force during 2022 | 52.95p Current rate, in force since 15 June 2026 |
| CPI inflation | Not yet available | 3.1% 12 months to August 2026 |
| Average earnings | Not yet available | £705/week May–July 2026 (3-month average) |
| Minimum wage | Not yet available | £12.71/hour Current rate, effective from 1 April 2026 |
| Bank Rate | Not yet available | 3.75% Current rate, set 18 December 2025 |
| 100-mile journey | Not yet available | £19.09 Calculated from today's price |
These figures come from different periods.
Explore any year
Fuel prices, tax, wages & inflation over time
2026
Historical dataPetrol
168.14p/litre
Diesel
190.72p/litre
Fuel Duty
52.95p/litre
VAT
20%
Minimum Wage
£12.71/hour
Average Earnings
Not yet verified
Bank Rate
3.75%
CPI index
Not yet verified
Source: GOV.UK / DESNZ — Weekly road fuel prices / GOV.UK / Bank of England (see individual figures) — view source
Historical affordability
Litres of petrol bought with one hour of pay
A transparent calculation — not an 'affordability score' — showing the relationship between wages and fuel prices in each year.
Petrol
7.6L
At 2026's minimum wage (£12.71/hour), one hour of work bought approximately this many litres of petrol.
Diesel
6.7L
The same calculation for diesel.
Source: GOV.UK / DESNZ — Weekly road fuel prices / GOV.UK / Bank of England (see individual figures) — view source
A historical comparison
What £20 buys
Petrol litres
11.9litres
Diesel litres
10.5litres
Minimum-wage hours required
1.6hours
Average earnings context
Not yet verified for this year
"Equivalent modern purchasing power" (inflation-adjusted) will be added once a verified CPI index level for 2026 is connected — we don't estimate this figure in the meantime.
Want to know what's happening right now?
Live and latest-available figures, kept separate from these historical ones.