Which fuel brand is cheapest?
Like for like, Costco (members only) is the cheapest brand: its forecourts charge a median of 8.0p a litre less for unleaded than other brands within 3 miles. Of brands open to everyone, Sainsbury’s is cheapest, at 2.8p below local rivals, and cheaper than them at 98% of its forecourts. The priciest major brands are Shell (+2.8p) and BP (+1.3p) against nearby forecourts. Updated UK time.
Brand league table
Ranked by how each brand’s unleaded compares with other brands’ forecourts within 3 miles. Brands with at least 20 reporting forecourts.
| Brand | Forecourts | Vs local rivals | Cheaper than local rivals | Unleaded average | Vs UK | Diesel average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CostcoSupermarket Members only | 22 | −8.0p | 100% | 166.0p | −8.2p | 190.2p |
| Sainsbury’sSupermarket | 315 | −2.8p | 98% | 171.4p | −2.8p | 195.9p |
| MorrisonsSupermarket | 341 | −2.2p | 96% | 172.0p | −2.2p | 197.2p |
| Go | 35 | −2.0p | 85% | 164.6p | −9.6p | 188.7p |
| TescoSupermarket | 506 | −1.9p | 84% | 172.2p | −2.0p | 196.7p |
| Essar | 52 | −1.0p | 59% | 173.3p | −0.9p | 198.0p |
| Pace | 46 | −0.9p | 75% | 174.8p | +0.6p | 199.1p |
| Jet | 317 | −0.8p | 65% | 172.6p | −1.6p | 198.2p |
| Gulf | 301 | −0.8p | 58% | 174.7p | +0.5p | 199.8p |
| Murco | 169 | −0.6p | 59% | 173.8p | −0.4p | 198.8p |
| AsdaSupermarket | 790 | −0.6p | 58% | 174.3p | +0.1p | 199.0p |
| Valero | 186 | −0.5p | 61% | 173.5p | −0.7p | 199.4p |
| Co-op | 26 | −0.4p | 59% | 173.8p | −0.4p | 198.1p |
| TotalEnergies | 36 | −0.3p | 50% | 172.2p | −2.0p | 198.5p |
| Texaco | 453 | −0.3p | 55% | 172.5p | −1.7p | 197.8p |
| Highland Fuels | 20 | −0.1p | 50% | 177.0p | +2.8p | 200.9p |
| Maxol | 95 | 0.0p | 44% | 166.4p | −7.8p | 190.5p |
| EG On The Move | 145 | 0.0p | 49% | 173.9p | −0.3p | 199.2p |
| Solo | 43 | +0.1p | 38% | 166.6p | −7.6p | 191.5p |
| Esso | 1,153 | +0.3p | 40% | 174.8p | +0.6p | 200.0p |
| Circle K | 48 | +0.4p | 39% | 168.1p | −6.1p | 192.3p |
| Spar | 29 | +1.2p | 26% | 174.3p | +0.1p | 197.8p |
| BP | 1,049 | +1.3p | 23% | 176.6p | +2.4p | 201.6p |
| Gleaner | 26 | +1.3p | 0% | 178.1p | +3.9p | 202.0p |
| Shell | 879 | +2.8p | 18% | 177.0p | +2.8p | 201.6p |
| Welcome Break | 38 | +21.1p | 7% | 189.3p | +15.1p | 213.7p |
UK average today: unleaded 174.2p, diesel 199.2p. “Vs local rivals” is the median gap between each forecourt and the average of other brands’ forecourts within 3 miles; forecourts with fewer than 2 rivals nearby aren’t compared.
Supermarkets vs everyone else
Supermarket forecourts average 172.8p for unleaded, against 174.7p at other forecourts. Compared with the forecourts around them, they’re cheaper at 78% of sites, by a median of 1.8p a litre. Tank Prices groups Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Costco by retailer, whatever fuel brand is on the canopy, because supermarkets set their own prices.
Why national averages can mislead
A brand’s national average mostly reflects where its forecourts are. Fuel is cheaper in Northern Ireland, dearer on motorways and in the Highlands and islands. That’s why this page ranks brands against their neighbours instead.
- Go’s average is 9.6p below the UK’s, but against nearby forecourts it’s 2.0p cheaper. 86% of its forecourts are in Northern Ireland.
- Maxol’s average is 7.8p below the UK’s, but against nearby forecourts it’s about level. 100% of its forecourts are in Northern Ireland.
- Solo’s average is 7.6p below the UK’s, but against nearby forecourts it’s about level. 95% of its forecourts are in Northern Ireland.
- Circle K’s average is 6.1p below the UK’s, but against nearby forecourts it’s about level. 100% of its forecourts are in Northern Ireland.
Which brands change prices most often?
The age of each forecourt’s current unleaded price shows how actively a brand reprices. Among brands with 100+ forecourts, today’s prices are newest at Morrisons (median 3 days), Tesco (median 3 days) and Sainsbury’s (median 4 days), and oldest at Murco (16 days), Texaco (11 days) and Gulf (10 days). A price that hasn’t changed for a while isn’t necessarily wrong, but it’s worth checking at the pump.
Who has the cheapest unleaded in town?
Number of towns where a brand has the lowest reported unleaded price today.
How we compare brands
Figures use the latest prices each forecourt reports to the government’s Fuel Finder scheme, excluding closed sites. Averages are simple averages of forecourts, not weighted by sales. Supermarkets are grouped by retailer and other forecourts by the fuel brand they report; independent and unbranded sites aren’t shown as a brand. Straight-line distances are used for local comparisons. See how Tank Prices works and the figures and downloads page.