UK Petrol Prices Hit 160p Peak Amid US-Iran Conflict

UK petrol prices hit a new high of 160p per litre on July 31, 2026, the highest level recorded since November 2022. Diesel prices simultaneously rose to 179p per litre. The surge coincides with the peak summer holiday season and follows a brief price decline in early July.

Donald Trump and the U.S. government drove the price spike by conducting several strikes against Iran after a brief period of diplomacy in June stalled. In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps struck two tankers in the strait of Hormuz and turned back four other ships. These hostilities pushed the Brent crude benchmark above $90 a barrel.

The Automobile Association credited the Government of the United Kingdom's fuel finder scheme, introduced in May, for making pump prices more responsive to wholesale fluctuations. The agency noted the scheme has reduced rocket and feather pricing patterns, where prices rise quickly but fall slowly.