What fuel price war? Supermarkets overcharging by £4 a tank, says AA
MOTORISTS are being overcharged by more than £4 a tank on average for petrol and diesel – as successive ‘price wars’ have gone nowhere near far enough, the AA said.
The ‘ big four’ supermarkets began another round of cuts yesterday, trimming up to 2p a litre off petrol and diesel – or £1.10 off a tank.
Asda was first to move, announcing it was cutting prices from today for the fifth time in just over a month.
It means the maximum amount drivers pay will drop 2p per litre, to 116p for unleaded and 127.7p for diesel.
Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Tesco quickly followed with cuts of up to 2p per litre, knocking £1.10 off the cost of filling a typical 55-litre family car.
The cuts will ease pressure on motorists who saw costs surge to four-year highs just as market oil prices slumped.
But motoring groups the AA and the RAC argued fuel retailers should have cut prices much more aggressively and accused them of failing to pass on a slump in their wholesale costs.
The AA claimed average prices should be around 8p a litre cheaper for both petrol and diesel. Oil prices have fallen by more than $25 (£20) a barrel since October to just over $58 (£52), amid a glut in supply and falling demand from a slowing global economy.
Edmund King, president of the AA, said: ‘We need to see the true price of fuel reflected at the pumps.’
Simon Williams, the RAC’s fuel spokesman, said: ‘If retailers do the right thing then it could really soon be Christmas at the pumps.’
But he added: ‘The sad reality for drivers is that the majority of fuel retailers are taking advantage of the falling wholesale price by pocketing the savings instead of passing them on.’