“Motorists would have been hoping that the dip in pump prices that we saw last month was the beginning of a new trend, but unfortunately it appears that that was the exception and not the rule.”
The average price of both petrol and diesel has increased, according to a new survey carried out by the AA.
Their latest fuel prices report reveals that a litre of petrol now costs an average of 137.6c, up from an average of 137.0c in March. Diesel prices, meanwhile, currently sit at an average of 127.1c per litre, up from 126.5c last month.
While both fuels remain below their 2018 highs of 138.2c for petrol and 127.3c for diesel, it brings an end to a one-month reprieve for drivers where prices had fallen slightly.
According to the AA’s research, motorists in Dublin can expect to pay almost 1c per litre more than the national average for both petrol, with the average price for a litre in the capital amounting to 138.5c for petrol, and 128.0c for diesel.
“Motorists would have been hoping that the dip in pump prices that we saw last month was the beginning of a new trend, but unfortunately it appears that that was the exception and not the rule,” said Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs.
“One of the messages we regularly preach when discussing car insurance is the importance of shopping around, but motorists should apply this same behaviour to their fuel purchasing habits,” he added.
Faughnan also suggested that people should break from routine and look around for better deals.
“Many of us develop a behaviour of going to the same garage every time we need fuel, never taking the time to actually compare prices in our area,” he noted.
“Over the course of conducting this research, we found prices ranging from over 4c below the national average to over 3c above, so taking the time to check pump prices at a number of garages in your town can help you save.”
Among the key reasons for the latest spike in fuel prices is a continued increase in the cost of crude oil. Having fallen to below $64 per barrel in early March, crude oil prices have rebounded and are currently floating between $70 and $72 per barrel.
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