Average UK petrol prices reach record high - here are the current cheapest Edinburgh petrol stations

The average UK petrol price reached a record high of 142.94p a litre at the weekend, and has only fallen slightly since, but there are still many petrol stations in Edinburgh where you can buy fuel for below the average price.

Yesterday, the average price for Unleaded fell slightly to 142.81p per litre, however, this drop is small and is likely not enough to soothe drivers worries about the cost of fuel.

Diesel prices reached 146.5p a litre on Sunday, short of its all-time high of 147.93p with prices increasing due to the soaring cost of oil per barrel. This cost has only fallen marginally since – with the average cost of diesel being recorded as 146.46p per litre yesterday by the RAC.

Although prices have increased across the UK, there are still a number of petrol stations offering cheaper fuel in the Capital.

The average UK petrol price has reached a record high, which the RAC say marks "a dark day for drivers".

The Sainsburys station in Straiton Retail Park has Unleaded on sale for 136.9p a litre, and is one of the cheapest place to buy petrol in Edinburgh according to Petrolprices.com.

Many other petrol stations, including BP Canonmills, Tesco Edinburgh Corstorphine Extra and Gulf Edinburgh Liberton Filling Station, are selling Unleaded for 137.9p a litre.

However, there are many filling stations that are selling petrol for a higher price than the average – such as the BP stations on Barclay Place, Slateford Road, and Ratcliffe Terrace, where Unleaded costs 144.9p per litre.

Households have been facing pressure from increased prices on many goods, while energy costs and petrol prices have also been on the rise. There are also hefty tax rises round the corner. Picture: Rui Vieira/PA

While it’s possible to shop around for a better price, drivers will still be paying significantly more than what they were paying for fuel last year. In October 2020, the average price of unleaded petrol was 114.5p per litre, as shown by RAC Fuel Watch data, meaning that the average price for a litre has risen by 28p in just one year.

Indeed, the latest figures are a major rise from the early days of the pandemic when the price of petrol collapsed to a low of 106.48p in May 2020.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: "This is truly a dark day for drivers, and one which we hoped we wouldn't see again after the high prices of April 2012.

"This will hurt many household budgets and no doubt have knock-on implications for the wider economy.”

He added: "If oil gets to 100 dollars a barrel, we could very easily see the average price climb to 150p a litre.

"Even though many people aren't driving as much as they have in the past due to the pandemic, drivers tell us they are more reliant on their cars now than they have been in years, and many simply don't have a choice but to drive.

"Those on lower incomes who have to drive to work will seriously struggle to find the extra money for the petrol they so badly need.

"We urge the government to help ease the burden at the pumps by temporarily reducing VAT, and for the biggest retailers to bring the amount they make on every litre of petrol back down to the level it was prior to the pandemic."

A message from the Editor:Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.