UK fuel prices in May 2026
Across the month the national median price of unleaded rose 2.0p to 158.9p a litre, and diesel fell 5.0p to 183.9p. Every figure on this page is computed from daily prices at 8,075 forecourts, published by retailers under the government's Fuel Finder scheme.
The month in one chart
National median, all forecourts reporting each day. Medians rather than averages, because a handful of mistyped prices would move an average and cannot move a median.
The month in numbers
| Start of month | End of month | Change | Highest | Lowest | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unleaded (E10) | 156.9p | 158.9p | +2.0p | 158.9p on 21 May | 156.9p on 1 May |
| Diesel (B7) | 188.9p | 183.9p | −5.0p | 188.9p on 1 May | 183.9p on 29 May |
Supermarkets against everyone else
| Supermarket forecourts | Everywhere else | Gap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unleaded (E10) | 156.7p | 159.9p | 3.2p |
| Diesel (B7) | 179.9p | 184.9p | 5.0p |
The unleaded gap fell 0.8p over the month, from 4.0p to 3.2p. A supermarket forecourt is not automatically the cheapest in a town — the spread within one postcode area is wider than the gap between these two groups — but on the national picture the difference is consistent.
The motorway premium
Motorway service area forecourts charged 20.0p a litre more for unleaded than forecourts elsewhere at the end of May 2026, and 16.0p more for diesel. On a 55-litre fill that is £11.00 of unleaded, and £177.00 a year for a driver filling up exclusively on the motorway.
| Motorway services | Everywhere else | Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unleaded (E10) | 178.9p | 158.9p | 20.0p |
| Diesel (B7) | 199.9p | 183.9p | 16.0p |
Every brand, cheapest first
Median price at the end of May 2026 across each brand's forecourts, for brands with at least 20 sites. The last column is the difference from the national median.
| Brand | Forecourts | Unleaded | Change over the month | Against the national median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Go | 30 | 149.9p | 0.0p | −9.0p |
| Maxol | 89 | 152.9p | +3.0p | −6.0p |
| Solo | 40 | 152.9p | +2.0p | −6.0p |
| Asda | 321 | 155.7p | +1.8p | −3.2p |
| Tesco | 516 | 155.9p | +2.0p | −3.0p |
| Sainsbury's | 316 | 155.9p | +1.0p | −3.0p |
| Circle K | 44 | 155.9p | +6.0p | −3.0p |
| Morrisons | 340 | 156.9p | +3.0p | −2.0p |
| Total Harvest Energy | 27 | 156.9p | +1.0p | −2.0p |
| EG On The Move | 148 | 156.9p | +1.1p | −2.0p |
| Texaco | 485 | 157.9p | +2.0p | −1.0p |
| Jet | 300 | 157.9p | +2.0p | −1.0p |
| Essar | 45 | 157.9p | +3.0p | −1.0p |
| Asda Express | 84 | 158.9p | +1.0p | 0.0p |
| Gulf | 271 | 159.7p | +3.0p | +0.8p |
| Murco | 154 | 159.7p | +2.8p | +0.8p |
| Esso | 1,436 | 159.9p | +2.0p | +1.0p |
| BP | 1,031 | 159.9p | +2.0p | +1.0p |
| Spar | 23 | 159.9p | +2.0p | +1.0p |
| Valero | 163 | 159.9p | +3.0p | +1.0p |
| Pace | 45 | 161.9p | +3.2p | +3.0p |
| Shell | 857 | 162.9p | +4.0p | +4.0p |
| Gleaner | 27 | 163.9p | +2.0p | +5.0p |
| Welcome Break | 38 | 181.9p | −4.0p | +23.0p |
Who moved first
The national median rose over May 2026, first crossing a penny from where it started on 14 May. Each brand below is shown against the day its own median first moved a penny in the same direction. This is the measure behind the Competition and Markets Authority's finding that pump prices rise quickly and fall slowly.
| Moved earliest | On | Moved latest | On |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texaco | 2 May | Asda Express | 27 May |
| Solo | 3 May | Asda | 21 May |
| Essar | 4 May | Sainsbury's | 20 May |
| BP | 4 May | Spar | 19 May |
| Circle K | 5 May | Esso | 15 May |
| Gleaner | 5 May | Gulf | 14 May |
A brand with few forecourts in a region can move on paper because of where its sites are rather than because of a pricing decision. Brands with fewer than 20 forecourts are left out for that reason.
Where fuel was cheapest and dearest
Postcode areas with at least ten forecourts, by median unleaded price at the end of the month.
Cheapest ten
| Area | Unleaded | Change |
|---|---|---|
| BT Northern Ireland | 152.9p | +3.0p |
| OL Oldham | 154.9p | +1.0p |
| HD Huddersfield | 154.9p | +1.0p |
| WN Wigan | 154.9p | 0.0p |
| DL Darlington | 155.9p | +1.0p |
| BL Bolton | 155.9p | +1.0p |
| LS Leeds | 155.9p | +1.0p |
| BD Bradford | 155.9p | +2.0p |
| WF Wakefield | 155.9p | +2.0p |
| FY Blackpool | 155.9p | +1.0p |
Dearest ten
| Area | Unleaded | Change |
|---|---|---|
| HS Outer Hebrides | 169.9p | +9.0p |
| ZE Shetland | 166.8p | +6.9p |
| KW Kirkwall | 164.7p | +2.8p |
| IV Inverness | 163.9p | +4.0p |
| BR Bromley | 162.9p | +5.0p |
| CR Croydon | 162.9p | +4.0p |
| PH Perth | 162.9p | +5.0p |
| NW North West London | 162.9p | +5.0p |
| DA Dartford | 162.9p | +3.0p |
| SW South West London | 162.9p | +5.0p |
The gap between the cheapest and dearest postcode area was 17.0p a litre. Within a single area the spread was wider still: across all forecourts, the tenth percentile was 153.9p and the ninetieth 164.9p, a gap of 11.0p. That is £6.05 on a 55-litre fill, or about £97.35 a year for a driver covering an average annual mileage.
How these figures were produced
- Prices come from the government's Fuel Finder scheme, which since 2025 has required retailers to publish their pump prices. Cheapest Pump records one snapshot a day and keeps every change.
- This report covers 31 days, 1 May to 31 May, across 8,075 forecourts.
- Every headline is a median, not an average, and the spread figures use the tenth and ninetieth percentiles. A single forecourt reporting an impossible price cannot move any number on this page.
- Per-driver figures assume a 55-litre fill and 885 litres a year, which is roughly 7,400 miles at 38 miles per gallon.
- The underlying data is free to download and reuse from the data page, as CSV and JSON.
Using this in an article? Everything here may be quoted or reproduced with a link to this page. Regional breakdowns beyond those shown, and the figures for any town or postcode area, are available on request — get in touch.