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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsAverage UK petrol prices rose by 7.7 pence per litre between August and September 2026, while diesel rose by 9.8p a litre, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The Government has not lost all influence over pump prices: it can change fuel duty and pursue market oversight. But it cannot directly set global oil or wholesale fuel prices, and the available figures do not show how much further action would reduce prices or how quickly.
How much did petrol prices rise?
The latest monthly figures available here compare August with September 2026. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero reported an average petrol increase of 7.7p per litre and a diesel increase of 9.8p per litre over that month-to-month period. These are not year-on-year comparisons. The department’s road-fuel statistics also confirm that data for the week commencing 28 September were published on 29 September, but the numeric weekly figure is not established here. A weekly reading should not be inferred from the monthly change.
What is happening to fuel duty?
HM Revenue & Customs said in a May 2026 notice that the temporary 5p-per-litre cut in unleaded petrol duty would continue through 31 December 2026. That is a reduction in the tax rate, not a guarantee that every forecourt’s pump price is exactly 5p lower: the final price also reflects other costs and pricing decisions. HMRC’s notice described default duty rises from January and March 2027 and said the Government would confirm final rates at Budget 2026. That notice records the published position at the time; it does not establish whether a later announcement changed it.
Why don’t changes in duty control the whole pump price?
Fuel duty is one part of what motorists pay. Crude oil and wholesale fuel costs are influenced by international markets, so ministers cannot set those inputs directly. A May 2026 government road-fuel monitoring report illustrates the distinction: over its analysis period, petrol had risen by 25.9p per litre since the beginning of the Middle East conflict, and the report attributed 10.3p of that increase to crude oil. Those figures describe that earlier period, not the causes or components of September’s 7.7p rise. The September release establishes the increase but does not break down what drove it.
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Global costs are not the only influence on the price at a particular forecourt. Retailers’ prices can differ locally, so a national average cannot tell a driver what a nearby station is charging.
What can the Government do?
The claim that there is “little” the Government can do is only partly right. It has domestic policy levers, but the available sources do not quantify the price effect, timing or cost of using them further.
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- Change fuel duty: A further cut could reduce the tax component, while an increase could raise it. The effect on the final pump price is not established by the cited figures, and a tax change would not control wholesale costs.
- Oversee forecourt competition: In the House of Commons on 10 March 2026, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the Government had asked the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to look at price-gouging concerns. That records a government action, not a finding that price gouging caused September’s increase.
- Address international conditions: Reeves said that day: “The most important thing we can do to address the cost of living challenges people face is to de-escalate the conflict in the middle east, which is exactly what this Government are attempting to do.” This was the Chancellor’s political statement in March, not an independent assessment of the conflict’s effect on September prices.
In short, the Government can influence the tax and competition environment. It cannot promise to neutralise movements in global oil and wholesale markets, and these sources do not show that a particular additional intervention would quickly reverse a rise.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can drivers find cheaper fuel nearby?
In March 2026, Reeves said the government’s fuel price finder showed marked differences between forecourts and urged motorists to shop around. Her comments are not a fresh measurement of local prices in October. A comparison tool can still help drivers check nearby prices before making a detour; compare the likely saving with the extra distance and fuel needed to reach another station.
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