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Energy Insight: Prices: UK petrol prices (1902-2019 ; diesel prices (1989-2019) and LPG (2001-2019) (DSI04)

Energy Institute; 16/02/2023

Prices

This Energy insight lists the average monthly UK retail prices for road fuel from 1902 to 2011, and also gives information about the changes in the grades of petrol and diesel.

In 1902 a gallon of petrol cost 9d (=3.7p).  In 2022 a litre of unleaded petrol cost an average of 165.21p (= 750.05p per gallon).

Petrol prices were not clearly recorded before 1914; in 1912 one commentator stated that prices were often what the retailer could get from the motorist and could be far higher than the market report level.

Dates given pre-1914 tend to reflect the dates of issue of the weekly market report, rather than the exact dates of the price change.

This Energy insight gives the prices as they were recorded at the time, ie

  • 1902 - 1970 - Old pence per gallon
  • 1971- 1988 - New pence per gallon
  • 1989 -2011 - New pence per litre

A table giving conversions from Sterling prior to decimalisation to Sterling today is provided, as is one for Gallons to Litres,

For UK transport fuel prices from 2020 onwards, please see our Energy insight: Prices: UK retail prices for petrol, diesel & LPG for road vehicles - showing duty and tax (DSS12)

Testing fuel quality

In 1924 the Institution of Petrolem Technologists (one of the forerunners of the Energy Institute) published the first edition of its Standard methods of testing petroleum and its products, including one for gasoline, and another for Gas Oil.  The Energy Institute has continued to publish test methods for petroleum and its products, including for all road fuels, annually to the present day.

Petrol Grade

During the Second World War only one grade of petrol was available - Pool petrol.  By 1951 this was 74 Octane.

In 1953 two grades were available - Standard at 74 octane and Premier at 93 Octane.  Super, at 100 octane, was introduced in 1958.

The Star grading system started in 1967, and in the same year BS 4040 was published - the first British Standard for motor gasoline.

1986 saw Esso introducing the first unleaded petrol; and super unleaded arrived in 1989.

Leaded petrol was withdrawn from sale in 2000, but Lead Replacemene Petrol (LRP) was made available in 1999 to cater for those vehicles incapapable of being converted to run on unleaded, or to allow time for their conversion.  LRP is no longer widely available, but The Federation of British Historic Vehicles Clubs maintains a list of servcie stations licensed to sell petrol containing lead (equivalent to the old 4 Star rating) suitable for historic road vehicles.

Energy Insight details

DSI04 (historical petrol prices).pdf

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Physical description: Pdf 18pp; statistical datasheet, available to logged-in EI members and subscribers

Keywords: Petrol retailing - Prices

Subjects: Trading, Oil markets, Retail and marketing, Statistics, Road transport, Gasoline, Liquefied petroleum gas, Motor gasoline, Derv, Prices