Motoring experts have said some families will have to cut their mileage or stop driving altogether as the cost of petrol continues to soar across Wales. Despite households already being squeezed financially in every direction due to the cost of living crisis, fuel prices are shooting up again.
The average cost of a full tank of petrol for a typical 55-litre family car has exceeded £100 for the first time, according to figures from data firm Experian Catalist today.
The average price of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts reached a record 182.3p on Wednesday, according to the firm. The average price of a litre of diesel on Wednesday was a record 188.1p.
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Drivers worried about how much they are spending on fuel are being encouraged to keep their eyes open for the cheapest prices, with supermarkets often providing the cheapest deals.
Luke Bodset, from the AA, said: "There is a lot of price variation around. That is because supermarkets take longer to pass on cost increases than non-supermarket rivals.
"Even among supermarkets there are marked differences between areas, depending on which supermarkets are present in a locality. Drivers need to keep their eyes open to spot the cheaper forecourts, or use fuel price search engines such as the AA App or petrolprices.com."
WalesOnline photographers have been out and about on Thursday (June 9) and have found very different prices between supermarkets close to each other, and between the same supermarket forecourts in different parts of the country.
It should be pointed out that supermarket petrol prices will vary around Wales and the rest of the UK - for example Tesco will not have the same price in every one of their forecourts - but we've picked the largest supermarket petrol stations in Wales' two biggest cities as a benchmark for comparison.
The cheapest petrol found was at the Sainsbury's on Colchester Avenue in the capital, where, on Thursday, June 9, petrol was 170.9p a litre and diesel was 180.9p . The most expensive in both cities was Tesco where unleaded fuel was 178.9p , and diesel was 188.9p.
In Llansamlet, Swansea, the price for unleaded at the Asda store is 174.7p per litre compared to 178.9p at the Tesco, which is less than two miles away.
In other supermarkets in Swansea the price at the Sainsbury's on Quay Parade, next to the Marina, was 176.9p for unleaded and 185.9p for diesel, and Morrisons in Morfa the price was 175.7p for unleaded and 183.7p for diesel.
Here are some of the prices in Cardiff on Thursday morning:
Alex Kindred, from Confused.com, said: "It's clear to see that rising costs are having an impact on drivers. Our research found that two in five UK drivers are making a conscious effort to drive less to save on fuel. However, it's not always possible for all motorists to reduce their driving, so are having to look for ways to make their tanks last a bit longer.
"By shopping around regularly, you could save money in the long run and ensure you're not paying over the odds."
RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams called on Chancellor Rishi Sunak to do more to tackle rising fuel costs after the largest daily jump in petrol prices for 17 years.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Thursday: "In a rising market they (retailers) pass on costs very quickly, and we saw that yesterday and we'll see it again today - the price will jump, we will probably almost certainly hit £100 of petrol fill-up."
He continued: "We (motoring organisations) all want to see something happen with fuel, we don't want it to be this high.
"People have a need to drive in this country and what we need really is the Chancellor to take action and either further reduce duty or cut VAT because VAT at the moment equates to 30 pence a litre.
"The higher the price goes at wholesale level, the higher the VAT take from the Treasury."
The AA has called for a further 10p per litre cut in fuel duty and the introduction of a "fuel price stabiliser".
The stabiliser would mean fuel duty is lowered when prices go up and increased when prices drop.
AA president Edmund King said: "Enough is enough. The Government must act urgently to reduce the record fuel prices which are crippling the lives of those on lower incomes, rural areas and businesses.
"A fuel price stabiliser is a fair means for the Treasury to help regulate the pump price, but alongside this they need to bring in more fuel price transparency to stop the daily rip-offs at the pumps.
"The £100 tank is not sustainable with the general cost-of-living crisis, so the underlying issues need to be addressed urgently."
Andrew Opie, Director for Food at the British Retail Consortium, said: "Global oil prices, while volatile, have soared over the last two years, and are now exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. While retailers were quick to pass on the Chancellor’s fuel duty cut, such measures are limited at a time when prices continue to climb.
"Retailers understand the cost pressures facing motorists and will do everything they can to offer the best value-for-money across petrol and diesel forecourts, particularly if the price of oil falls."
