Petrol Prices Are Back at a Four-Year High - the Same Story That Started in West Kent Back in April

Fuel is getting expensive again, and it's happening fast. The national average price of petrol has jumped to its highest level in four years, and diesel to its highest since April - both driven by a sharp rise in the price of oil, with a fuel duty change adding a further squeeze on top. For West Kent's commuters, this isn't a new problem so much as an old one getting worse again.

The RAC says the average price of unleaded has climbed to 168.46p a litre and diesel to 190.08p, with both fuels rising by around 5p in the space of a week - about £2.75 more to fill a typical family car than seven days ago. The cause is the price of oil itself: Brent crude has risen roughly 10% in a week, approaching $108 a barrel, as the conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt supply. RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said crude oil "was continuing to drive wholesale fuel prices higher, with diesel particularly exposed."

On top of the oil-driven increase, a fuel duty rise took effect on 1 September, adding at least a further penny a litre before VAT. The government's temporary 5p-a-litre duty cut is due to end entirely at the close of 2026, with duty then rising by 3p a litre from January and a further 2p in March 2027 - so the trend for West Kent drivers over the next six months points one way, regardless of what happens with oil prices in the meantime.

This is the same underlying story we first reported back in April, when fuel prices spiked after tensions involving Iran began escalating - and it's the same Middle East conflict still driving prices now, five months on. By the August bank holiday, high fuel prices had already changed travel plans for three in ten drivers nationally; the RAC put a full tank of petrol at around £89 at that point. It's higher again now, and for West Kent's commuter belt - reliant on the M20, M25, M26 and A21 for getting to work - that's a real, recurring cost rather than a one-off spike.

None of this is likely to ease quickly - RAC has said it's watching wholesale prices closely and will call on retailers to pass on any drop if oil prices fall back, but with duty due to rise regardless from January, drivers shouldn't expect a return to where prices stood even a year ago. Source: Share-Talk