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Anyone else concerned about the price of fuel?

188 replies

cormissus · 17/09/2026 16:47

Yesterday it was £1.66 near us a litre and today it’s £1.71. It seems to be climbing by the day and although I hear tuts and sighs most people just seem to be accepting it. The government hasn’t said a word - but mind you they’ve made approximately £130million in excess VAT since Feb when this conflict started. I recently switched to a hybrid so it’s not costing me quite as much but I wonder how high the government is prepared to let it go before they will slash the VAT?

OP posts:
cormissus · 18/09/2026 12:57

Elbowpatch · 18/09/2026 09:25

EV pay per mile. Surely you have heard of it.

Yes, I have. I actually mentioned that in my post (the one you quoted). I have a hybrid but it’s not a plug in hybrid so I will not have to pay the mileage charge.

OP posts:
cormissus · 18/09/2026 13:15

Oh my, this thread is WILD! I only asked if people were worried about fuel costs. 😂😂

In response to the cyclists who commented - we are a country whose infrastructure and culture is designed around driving. So many of us live good distances away from work or from family or schools and most can’t just stop driving. It sounds simple if you’ve designed your life around your bike but most of us haven’t. I’m not about to undertake the massive cost of moving house just so I have better access to public transport either. And I can’t just cycle to my elderly dad’s home twice a week (a 70 mile round trip). So Yes, cutting back on fuel costs for us at least, just isn’t possible right now. We will do our best to save money in other ways.

As for Dracolina - yes, freedom of speech is indeed a wonderful thing and I 100% support it. I disagree with your worldview but this is not the thread to discuss that.

OP posts:
emuloc · 18/09/2026 13:23

There is so much outrage about immigration, for example: and Nigel Farage and his ilk are cashing in on this, saying "vote for meeeeeeeeeeee, I will gladly stop the boats if you will kneel at my feet". There are plenty of arguments for and against immigration.
Yet, there seems to be no outrage about the ever-increasing fuel prices at all. Why not?

Indeed. It is a shame that all those people who are able to get up, rampaging in the streets, can't seem to find the same vigour, to do something productive with themselves, and protest against high energy bills. Or maybe they will somehow not be affected by the increase coming next month! Just in time for Winter, as always.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

QuirkyOpalLurker · 18/09/2026 14:01

Dracolina · 18/09/2026 12:27

Show me where I expressed support. I have always said this: one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. It's a generic statement that could be applied to anything.

|

QuirkyOpalLurker · 18/09/2026 14:03

Dracolina · 18/09/2026 12:27

Show me where I expressed support. I have always said this: one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. It's a generic statement that could be applied to anything.

.

Anyone else concerned about the price of fuel?
MouseInTheWoodpile · 18/09/2026 16:03

dustabsorber · 18/09/2026 11:32

Get a bike, they work in the country as well as in the city

When you have around 35 miles one way commute, and are also over 6 miles from the nearest village with a bus which then takes about 1.5 hours one way to get to a workplace, its just not practical. There’s country and there’s country.

Boomer55 · 18/09/2026 16:06

cormissus · 17/09/2026 16:47

Yesterday it was £1.66 near us a litre and today it’s £1.71. It seems to be climbing by the day and although I hear tuts and sighs most people just seem to be accepting it. The government hasn’t said a word - but mind you they’ve made approximately £130million in excess VAT since Feb when this conflict started. I recently switched to a hybrid so it’s not costing me quite as much but I wonder how high the government is prepared to let it go before they will slash the VAT?

Yes, because it affects everything. But, nothing we can do.

MouseInTheWoodpile · 18/09/2026 16:07

RedToothBrush · 18/09/2026 11:57

There is currently oil to buy.

There are no guarantees this will continue to be the case over the coming months

Honestly there's so many things in this thread I don't know where to begin with in terms of what the geopolitical and logistical situation currently sit.

It absolutely needs a proper comment from the PM on the situation at this point.

It's all gone a bit tumbleweedy and it's not reflecting the actual situation. The media is days behind and only just beginning to catch up and grasp how it's all interconnected and the implications for the coming few months.

It's BAD.

If you aren't worried about prices (even if you have an electric) you should be because of the ripple effects.

Yes the prospect of no supply at all is something I daren’t contemplate. And I totally agree the ripple effects will be felt by everyone in some way.

GasPanic · 18/09/2026 16:10

Got a hybrid that can do 40 miles on a single charge so that gets me around the local area without having to pay anything out in fuel.

Of course it cost a lot more than the petrol only so its just recuperating that cost really. I doubt whether the amount I use it will justify the extra cost of the battery vs fuel over the period I own it.

People who have electric cars have to do an awful lot of mileage before they recuperate the battery costs.

The only bonus of high fuel prices is really you are insulated from them because once you have paid out you don't need to bother about prices anymore. Plus of course you don't have to worry about petrol strikes or supply issues.

Figgygal · 18/09/2026 16:11

I'm furious at how under reported this has been
It's gone up what 30p since June/July?
Nothing said on news or political podcasts until the last few days.
I don't blame the government fuel duty is a critical funder of public services I blame that idiot across the pond who has unleashed global economic chaos on a whim and no plan.

OneLilacHedgehog · 18/09/2026 16:17

Yeah rich people with electric cars are fine. It's people like me with an old petrol car who are most affected.

cormissus · 18/09/2026 16:33

Figgygal · 18/09/2026 16:11

I'm furious at how under reported this has been
It's gone up what 30p since June/July?
Nothing said on news or political podcasts until the last few days.
I don't blame the government fuel duty is a critical funder of public services I blame that idiot across the pond who has unleashed global economic chaos on a whim and no plan.

An injection of £130million into public services would be great! Somehow I doubt the excess cash is going to where it’s needed though.

OP posts:
WhitegreeNcandle · 18/09/2026 16:38

Yes. Not because of filling up my car weekly (although it’s making me wince). But because filling up my tractor for autumn drilling isn’t just making me wince, it’s making me very very nervous about the next 6 months to a year. Farmers across Europe are facing the same problem, I can’t see how inflation isn’t going to rocket.

summater · 18/09/2026 16:48

Veloce · 18/09/2026 10:56

Yes this is what I was asking @Dandeloosha.
My neighbour had a surprise when the electricity went off for three days and she couldn't use solar. She was told that even with an isolator (costing thousands) she would only have one socket to use.

Edited

I wondered this as I see you can just get a battery without solar panels to shift the electricity use but it seemed you couldn't use this battery in a power cut, well I didn't see anything that said you could which would surely be a selling point.

RedToothBrush · 18/09/2026 17:02

MouseInTheWoodpile · 18/09/2026 16:07

Yes the prospect of no supply at all is something I daren’t contemplate. And I totally agree the ripple effects will be felt by everyone in some way.

At least someone is there and realising just how bad this might get from the sound of that post.

It's not a nice thing to think out.

Bleppington · 18/09/2026 17:14

OneLilacHedgehog · 18/09/2026 16:17

Yeah rich people with electric cars are fine. It's people like me with an old petrol car who are most affected.

Exactly.

Here I am with my 2010 1.2 petrol Skoda, having to do a 20 mile round trip twice a day to take a disabled child to the closest special school that could take them...

I'm pretty fucking worried about what happens if I can't get the fuel to do the school run. It's my only respite 😬

flapjackfairy · 18/09/2026 18:23

Dandeloosha · 18/09/2026 09:30

Yes, we have battery storage. Most people who get solar get the battery too.

Do you also have the emergency protection valve ? With out that the battery wont work to stop people being electrocuted by power surges if they are working on the network. So lots of solar systems shutdown in power cuts so worth checking that.

professionalcommentreader · 18/09/2026 19:35

Yep worried! Student child on placements no help with fuel. My fuel and the obvious impact on food price rises, feels never ending.

noblegiraffe · 18/09/2026 20:55

Previously when they were talking about fuel and the Straits of Hormuz, the problem was diesel and petrol wasn't as badly affected because of alternative supply lines.

Does anyone know if that is still the case?

RedToothBrush · 18/09/2026 23:08

noblegiraffe · 18/09/2026 20:55

Previously when they were talking about fuel and the Straits of Hormuz, the problem was diesel and petrol wasn't as badly affected because of alternative supply lines.

Does anyone know if that is still the case?

Petrol is not as badly affected and it's not generally as strategically important - diesel = tractors, trains, trucks, cargo ships and generators.

The issue is about diesel refining capacity now.

Iraqi had increased production of crude to make up a lot of shortfall and are trucking it under (expensive) escort through Syria. At present this route is holding but it's very vulnerable. There's been recent riots in Syria due to fuel prices going up. Plus one of the attacks on Saudi Arabia was from dissident Iran supporting Iraqis on Iraqi soil.

The Saudis were still getting a significant amount of crude and distillates out but this has massively reduced since the attacks and they've taken to trucking under escort to Oman. Again this is a vulnerable route which hasn't yet been targeted by Iran, but this is possible. And it uses diesel. The Saudi diesel refinery capacity has been knocked out plus they are now needing more to get oil out of the country, to the point that the Saudis have been looking to buy diesel from Europe (think about this - they are exporting oil all the way to Europe using diesel only to import it back as diesel. This is something of a death spiral and you'd only be doing this in desperation).

The US largely have enough refinery capacity to cover their own needs but it's not quite this simple. They do import some from Canada for example (because it's closer and cheaper to do this than get from the Gulf of Mexico). But the refineries are running at max capacity and it's nearly maintenance season (also remember that the refineries are in hurricane areas - though this year they've been so far fortunate on that front). One of their larger refineries had an issue and has been shut down for a couple of days this week pushing up prices in the Midwest. This should be back online soon but they can't really afford for it not to be running.

The US is talking about banning diesel exports - the problem with this would be it would push up prices worldwide as a result. It would initially help the US but eventually backfire because the problem the US really has isn't a shortage of diesel but a shortage of cheap diesel. The USA imports cheap diesel and exports expensive diesel to places like the UK. Other countries would have to respond to this change in the market as the US would be no longer assumed as a reliable source and this would have an overall negative impact to what they are trying to achieve (reduce prices) and led to countries strategically changing tactics and infrastructure. It would long term be a negative for the US.

The US had also used reserves to help keep prices lower but they have a limited amount they can do this with.

Then Libya has put three refineries off line this week due to civil unrest. Italy imports 25% of its diesel so they are a fairly significant producer for the EU market.

The amount of oil getting out via Oman and Hormuz has been increasing but this hasn't been enough to make up for what the Saudis were putting through the red sea. It's also in crude form not refined as diesel.

Given the situation has been going on for some months of disruption, there's been a slow grind on reserves around the world.

Note: due to gas shortages from Qatar due to Iranian strikes on Pakistan and Bangladesh have been using generators to help with power outages there. So consumption of diesel has also gone up there.

Diesel is the real issue because it takes refining and it powers the key trades. The margins are tighter on amounts than crude itself.

Macron has asked to convene at emergency G7 about the crisis and is looking to release some of Europe's strategic reserves (held in diesel and petrol rather than crude) but this will only ease the situation temporarily.

Longer term there will potentially be a point where there are shortages and these slowly spread. There are already shortages in a couple of countries (the Philippines has had issues already and I believe there's rationing already).

A US export ban would cripple Australia. I believe Australia is one of the most exposed countries at this point.

The UK has four refineries which account for 50% of our consumption with the majority of the rest coming from the Netherlands. The rest comes from the US and the middle east. But apparently we are less exposed than other parts of Europe, at least currently.

And yes I now can bore the tits off everyone on something else inane.

MouseInTheWoodpile · 19/09/2026 06:40

RedToothBrush · 18/09/2026 23:08

Petrol is not as badly affected and it's not generally as strategically important - diesel = tractors, trains, trucks, cargo ships and generators.

The issue is about diesel refining capacity now.

Iraqi had increased production of crude to make up a lot of shortfall and are trucking it under (expensive) escort through Syria. At present this route is holding but it's very vulnerable. There's been recent riots in Syria due to fuel prices going up. Plus one of the attacks on Saudi Arabia was from dissident Iran supporting Iraqis on Iraqi soil.

The Saudis were still getting a significant amount of crude and distillates out but this has massively reduced since the attacks and they've taken to trucking under escort to Oman. Again this is a vulnerable route which hasn't yet been targeted by Iran, but this is possible. And it uses diesel. The Saudi diesel refinery capacity has been knocked out plus they are now needing more to get oil out of the country, to the point that the Saudis have been looking to buy diesel from Europe (think about this - they are exporting oil all the way to Europe using diesel only to import it back as diesel. This is something of a death spiral and you'd only be doing this in desperation).

The US largely have enough refinery capacity to cover their own needs but it's not quite this simple. They do import some from Canada for example (because it's closer and cheaper to do this than get from the Gulf of Mexico). But the refineries are running at max capacity and it's nearly maintenance season (also remember that the refineries are in hurricane areas - though this year they've been so far fortunate on that front). One of their larger refineries had an issue and has been shut down for a couple of days this week pushing up prices in the Midwest. This should be back online soon but they can't really afford for it not to be running.

The US is talking about banning diesel exports - the problem with this would be it would push up prices worldwide as a result. It would initially help the US but eventually backfire because the problem the US really has isn't a shortage of diesel but a shortage of cheap diesel. The USA imports cheap diesel and exports expensive diesel to places like the UK. Other countries would have to respond to this change in the market as the US would be no longer assumed as a reliable source and this would have an overall negative impact to what they are trying to achieve (reduce prices) and led to countries strategically changing tactics and infrastructure. It would long term be a negative for the US.

The US had also used reserves to help keep prices lower but they have a limited amount they can do this with.

Then Libya has put three refineries off line this week due to civil unrest. Italy imports 25% of its diesel so they are a fairly significant producer for the EU market.

The amount of oil getting out via Oman and Hormuz has been increasing but this hasn't been enough to make up for what the Saudis were putting through the red sea. It's also in crude form not refined as diesel.

Given the situation has been going on for some months of disruption, there's been a slow grind on reserves around the world.

Note: due to gas shortages from Qatar due to Iranian strikes on Pakistan and Bangladesh have been using generators to help with power outages there. So consumption of diesel has also gone up there.

Diesel is the real issue because it takes refining and it powers the key trades. The margins are tighter on amounts than crude itself.

Macron has asked to convene at emergency G7 about the crisis and is looking to release some of Europe's strategic reserves (held in diesel and petrol rather than crude) but this will only ease the situation temporarily.

Longer term there will potentially be a point where there are shortages and these slowly spread. There are already shortages in a couple of countries (the Philippines has had issues already and I believe there's rationing already).

A US export ban would cripple Australia. I believe Australia is one of the most exposed countries at this point.

The UK has four refineries which account for 50% of our consumption with the majority of the rest coming from the Netherlands. The rest comes from the US and the middle east. But apparently we are less exposed than other parts of Europe, at least currently.

And yes I now can bore the tits off everyone on something else inane.

Thank you @RedToothBrush not boring at all, it’s good to understand more, depressing as it is.

garlictwist · 19/09/2026 06:47

I don't drive much, maybe once every couple of weeks so it's been a while since I've filled the car. Filled it up for the first time in ages the other day and it was £75 to fill my 1 litre Polo. It used to be half that.

Mydogisagentleman · 19/09/2026 06:59

I am a home carer, minimum wage + 10p an hour.
I recently switched to a petrol vehicle from diesel and now spend about £100 a week on fuel.
It's unsustainable

RedToothBrush · 19/09/2026 07:06

Can I put this another way? If you rely on a diesel car for transportation, you are going to have problems really soon one way or another. And I feel this is a not if, but when scenario given the circumstances.

If you have oil heating, get as much as you can now.

The price is going to go through the roof - this is a given. This probably means rationing of some kind at some point is likely (if only to tackle that price). There are no guarantees you will be able to get any going forward.

Diesel is at risk of being prioritised for essential services such as freight, trains, farming and the military.

I also warn about going abroad. A lot of US airlines are already saying that they are going to cut a lot of routes in December. This is for cost and aviation fuel availability reasons. Keep a close eye on developments and what's being said about levels of fuel. Take a hit on your holiday rather than getting stranded if it comes to it, because you may get stuck if you aren't careful. It will not be worth taking the risk. There are risks of airlines going pop too. I have a trip booked earlier than that but I think it's touch and go as to whether it happens or not. Take this seriously.

This is going to be an exceptionally tough winter for everyone I suspect. Burnham is AWOL on this matter at this point I feel.

notimagain · 19/09/2026 07:29

There are risks of airlines going pop too

Very much the case, both sides of the pond...

Forget all the nonsense about "oh but they make XXX"...the margins per passenger over the year are very thin even when fuel was (relatively) cheap, at the moment the price of AVTUR (jet fuel) is through the roof. As hedging deals expire companies are going to be increasingly exposed to the current prices.

Up until March jet fuel was stable at maybe just sub $100 a barrel, last week it was close to $200, the "....24 months" graph at the below site gives the picture.
https://www.iata.org/en/publications/economics/fuel-monitor/