Why is fuel cheaper in Northern Ireland?
Drivers in Northern Ireland pay less for petrol and diesel than anyone else in the UK. On Friday 2 October 2026 the gap to Great Britain was 7.6p a litre for petrol and 6.3p for diesel. The tax is the same and so is the fuel. Here is what the data shows, and the reason behind it.
Published 5 October 2026 · Fuel Finder UK team
How big is the gap?
Big enough that Northern Ireland sits on its own. The other eleven UK nations and regions are all within 2.6p of each other for petrol. Northern Ireland is 6.1p below the next cheapest, Yorkshire and the Humber.
See the numbers
| Area | Petrol (E10) | Diesel (B7) |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 167.7p | 194.1p |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 173.8p | 199.6p |
| North East | 173.9p | 199.7p |
| Wales | 174.5p | 199.9p |
| North West | 174.5p | 199.5p |
| London | 175.3p | 201.0p |
| South West | 175.5p | 200.7p |
| East Midlands | 175.5p | 200.2p |
| East of England | 175.5p | 200.4p |
| West Midlands | 175.6p | 200.6p |
| Scotland | 176.1p | 201.3p |
| South East | 176.4p | 201.1p |
Source: Fuel Finder UK analysis of official CMA fuel price data, 2:51pm on 2 October 2026.
It is not a few cheap forecourts pulling the average down. 99% of Northern Ireland's forecourts were cheaper for petrol than the Great Britain average, and 98% for diesel.
Diesel shows it most clearly. On the day the UK average reached £2 a litre, just 10 of 562 forecourts in Northern Ireland charged £2 or more. Across the UK it was one in three. Read how many forecourts are over £2 for diesel.
Our figures match the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland, which reported averages of 167.2p for petrol and 193.3p for diesel on 1 October 2026 (Fuel Price Checker).
It is not tax
Fuel duty is 52.95p a litre everywhere in the UK, and VAT is 20% on top. A litre in Belfast carries the same tax rates as a litre in Birmingham.
It is not the supermarkets
In Great Britain the big four supermarkets are 24% of the forecourts in the data, and they are among the cheapest. In Northern Ireland they are 6%. About three in four forecourts there are independents and smaller local brands.
And the same brands charge less in Northern Ireland than they do in Great Britain.
| Brand | Petrol, Northern Ireland | Petrol, Great Britain | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesco | 165.7p | 172.7p | 7.0p |
| BP | 167.8p | 177.6p | 9.8p |
| Texaco | 167.8p | 174.0p | 6.2p |
| Asda | 166.7p | 174.8p | 8.1p |
Average E10 petrol price by brand, 2 October 2026. Brands with at least 8 forecourts in Northern Ireland.
It is the border
The Competition and Markets Authority looked at this in its 2023 road fuel market study. Its explanation was that forecourts in Northern Ireland compete with forecourts across the border, which work under different taxes and market conditions (Irish News report on the CMA study). The RAC said the same in 2024 (News Letter).
The numbers today back it up. AA Ireland put average prices in the Republic at €1.87 a litre for petrol and €1.94 for diesel in September 2026 (AA Ireland). At the European Central Bank's rate on 1 October 2026, €1 to 85.4p, that is about 160p for petrol and 166p for diesel.
So petrol across the border is around 8p a litre cheaper than in Northern Ireland, and diesel around 28p cheaper. A forecourt in Northern Ireland that priced like one in England would be handing its customers to the Republic.
Two cautions. The AA Ireland figure is a monthly average and ours is a single day, so the comparison is rough. Other trackers put diesel in the Republic a little higher, though still well below Northern Ireland. And AA Ireland says the Republic has a temporary cut in fuel tax that runs to 31 October 2026, so the gap may narrow from November.
The effect covers the whole of Northern Ireland
You might expect prices to be lowest right at the border. They are not. Across the 11 council districts, average petrol runs from 167.0p to 168.2p, a spread of 1.2p.
Newry, Mourne and Down, on the border, averages 167.2p. Belfast averages 167.6p. Derry City and Strabane, also on the border, is 168.1p. Whatever the border does to prices, it does it everywhere.
What it means when you fill up
- In Northern Ireland, it is still worth comparing. The average is low, but forecourts in the same town can be several pence apart. See Northern Ireland prices today, or Belfast, Derry and Newry and Banbridge.
- In Great Britain, where you fill up matters more than which region you are in. The eleven other nations and regions are within a few pence of each other. The gaps between towns and between brands are bigger. See the cheapest towns and prices by brand.
- Live prices across Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Cheapest first, on a list or a map.
- Fill up on the way. Plan a route and see the cheapest stops along it.
- Know the cost of a fill. Add your car and see what a full tank costs at each station.
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How we worked it out
We used the official CMA fuel price data as it stood at 2:51pm on Friday 2 October 2026: 504 forecourts in Northern Ireland with a petrol price and 7,801 in Great Britain. For diesel it is 562 and 7,850. Prices outside 100p to 300p were left out as errors. Each forecourt is placed by its postcode.
These are simple averages of forecourt prices, not weighted by how much fuel each one sells. Prices have moved since 2 October. The nation, region and county pages are updated daily.