The Scottish Government has been urged to bring in a Northern Ireland-style petrol price checker to force fuel costs down.
While the price of a litre of petrol and diesel in some parts of Scotland passed the £2 mark last week, motorists in Northern Ireland pay 35p less.
A publicly funded online tracking service in the province lets motorists know the cheapest fuel on offer in their local area, which has forced pump owners to keep their prices competitive.
Motoring organisation The AA said it helps keep prices low because consumers know exactly how much they should be paying at the pumps and can easily avoid more expensive suppliers.
The AA’s fuel spokesman Luke Bosdet said: “There is nothing to stop the Scottish Government from doing the same.”
The Consumer Council of Northern Ireland’s Fuel Price Checker was introduced in 2020 and collates data from more than 80 service stations around Northern Ireland.
Updated on a weekly basis, it allows motorists to see the highest, lowest and average fuel prices in their area.
Yesterday the watchdog body checker showed the cost of a litre of petrol in Derry as £1.65, while it was £1.69 in Bangor and Strabane.
Diesel in Limavaddy was £1.75, £1.76 in Derry and £1.79 in Coleraine.
That compares to a UK average of £1.82 for petrol and £1.88 for diesel.
Similar successful tracker schemes are operating in France, Austria, Spain and the Czech Republic.
Bosdet added: “At the moment we have a petrol pump lottery where the price of fuel can vary according to the town that you live in.
“Northern Ireland is showing the rest of the country the way to help motorists.
“The number of views on their fuel checker has gone up by 526 per cent in the last few days, which shows how much drivers value it.
“It directs them to cheaper fuel and forces retailers to bring down their prices or face losing customers.”
Scottish Lib Dem economy spokesperson Willie Rennie also backed the service being introduced here.
He said: “The Northern Ireland price checker, run by the Consumer Council, is a great model that we need in Scotland to help consumers find the best deal and drive down prices. It must be independent of government but the Scottish Government should help get it established quickly.”
Scottish Conservative transport spokesperson Graham Simpson added: “Anything that can check the current surge in global fuel prices ought to be considered because drivers are really suffering financially.”
Scottish Labour energy spokesperson Colin Smyth said: “This is a great idea that empowers drivers and holds those charging extortionate prices to account.”
The Scottish Tenants Council said a fuel price checker would stop wanton profiteering.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Tools to help consumers find the cheapest fuel prices in their area are already readily available online. We expect petrol stations to charge all consumers a fair price and advertise these in a transparent and easily understood way.”
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