Latest petrol price increase a ‘dark day’ says RAC as cost of filling family car hits £100

The price of filling an average family car with petrol has reached £100 for the first time.

The RAC has said it is a “truly dark day today for drivers” as figures from data firm Experian Catalist show the average price of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts reached a record 182.3p.

The price of petrol has increased by 1.6p compared with Tuesday, it takes the average cost of filling a 55-litre family car to £100.27.

RAC fuel spokesperson Simon Williams said: “It’s a truly dark day today for drivers with petrol now crossing the thoroughly depressing threshold of £100 a tank (£100.27p). A complete diesel fill-up now costs £103.43.

“With average prices so high – 182.31p for a litre of unleaded and 188.05p for diesel – there’s almost certainly going to be upward inflationary pressure which is bad news for everybody.

“While fuel prices have been setting new records on a daily basis, households up and down the country may never have expected to see the cost of filling an average-sized family car reach three figures.

He added: “March’s 5p fuel duty cut now looks paltry as wholesale petrol costs have already increased by five-times that amount since the Spring Statement (25p).

“A further duty cut or a temporary reduction in VAT would go a long way towards helping drivers, especially those on lower incomes who have no choice other than to drive.”