A top Tory has told drivers it is their responsibility to force fuel prices down by shopping around.
Forecourts are accused of “heartlessly overcharging” motorists by failing to pass on big falls in wholesale costs.
Food minister Mark Spencer said it was up to the public to use “consumer power” to stop themselves being ripped off.
Asked what his message is to supermarkets enjoying bigger margins on petrol and diesel, he told Times Radio: "I would say to them they've got to try and look after their customers.
“But I would say to those customers or my constituents, shop around to look around for the best deals and to use the power of your pay packet, if you like, to drive down that cost.
“If you move your custom to places where it is a low price - and there's lots of independent petrol retailers now that are actually lower than the supermarket prices - use your consumer power to drive those prices down again."
Figures from the RAC show the average price for a litre of petrol is around 153p, with diesel at 176p.
The motoring organisation believes drivers should not be feeling so much pain at the pumps as the wholesale price of petrol is the same as 12 months ago, while diesel is just 14p more per litre.
It argues the prices per litre of petrol and diesel should be cut by around 15p and 13p respectively and is calling on supermarkets to "give drivers the Christmas present they deserve".
The millions of motorists embarking on journeys this week to spend the festive period with loved ones are paying an extra £20 for filling a typical 55-litre family car with petrol and £31 for diesel than two years ago.
Rishi Sunak earlier this week failed to rule out hiking pump prices further by raising fuel duty by 12p a litre in the spring.
The tax has not been put up since the Conservatives took power in 2010.
But Treasury planning assumes a 23% rise after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's March 15 Budget, which would raise £5.7billion.
Grilled by the Commons Liaison Committee on Tuesday, the Prime Minister left the door open to the increase.
He said: "I am going to let the Chancellor make his policy on fiscal decisions and announce them in the normal way."
Mr Sunak also ruled out widening access to free school meals, saying: "I think the provision we have is the right provision."
Average fuel prices reached record highs of 192p per litre for petrol and 199p per litre for diesel in July, partly due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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