If you live in Somerset, you are paying more for petrol than almost anywhere else in the UK. Using live price data from over 7,000 UK fuel stations, we ranked English counties by average unleaded (E10) price to find out where drivers are getting hit hardest at the pump. Scotland and Wales are covered in their own section below.
The most expensive counties for unleaded
- 1Somerset169.2p
- 2Derbyshire168.2p
- 3Yorkshire165.1p
- 4Cheshire163.0p
- 5Northamptonshire162.7p
- 6Warwickshire162.5p
- 7Bedfordshire162.3p
- 8Cornwall162.1p
- 9Hampshire161.7p
- 10Cambridgeshire161.6p
The cheapest counties
- 1Staffordshire159.8p
- 2Kent159.8p
- 3West Sussex159.9p
Drivers in Staffordshire, Kent and West Sussex are getting among the best deals in the country. The difference between the most and least expensive counties is around 10p per litre, and on a 50 litre fill that is a £5 difference depending on where you happen to live.
Why does it vary by county?
Local competition between forecourts is the biggest factor. Areas with fewer stations and less competition tend to have higher prices. Rural counties like Somerset and Cornwall have lower station density, which reduces competitive pressure on operators. Transport costs also play a small role, as fuel has to be delivered to forecourts and remote locations carry slightly higher delivery costs.
Supermarket forecourts are the great equaliser. Where a Tesco or Morrisons is nearby, local prices tend to be dragged down to match. Counties with fewer supermarket forecourts tend to sit higher in the price rankings.
Scotland and Wales
North Lanarkshire in Scotland averages 162.2p, while West Glamorgan in Wales sits at 160.5p. Both are above the UK average but below the most expensive English counties. Remote Scottish areas like Aberdeenshire (161.5p) and Perthshire (161.1p) are surprisingly competitive given their geography, likely driven by supermarket presence in larger towns like Aberdeen and Perth.
The bottom line
Where you live has a real impact on what you pay at the pump, with a spread of around 10p per litre between the cheapest and most expensive counties. If you are in Somerset or Derbyshire, it is worth using FindingFuel to find the cheapest local station rather than just filling up at the nearest forecourt. The savings can add up quickly.
Prices based on live data from the UK Government FuelFinder service, updated hourly. Data covers April 2026.