If you’re ever roadtripped around Europe, you may have noticed that petrol prices fluctuate depending on what time of day it is.
Austria, for example, is ‘notorious’ for this. If you’re trucking out of Vienna at rush hour, pump prices will climb, but they dip during the day when people are busy at work.
With fuel prices increasing and the cost of living crisis deepening, saving on costly petrol could make a significant difference to your purse. The RAC’s fuel watch found that despite no change in the cost of oil, petrol and diesel prices increased by around a penny a litre in September.
So, is there a perfect time to buy fuel in the UK?
Well, the AA has an answer to that: No. Luke Bosdet, from the AA’s motoring policy unit, explained that fuel prices don’t fluctuate depending on the time of day.
But next year, a new policy is being launched by the government that could change things and make it easier for the consumer.
Luke explained: ‘It is known to happen in other parts of Europe but it doesn’t really happen here. It just doesn’t happen. If you were somewhere like Austria, the time of day would be a problem. They’re notorious for it.’
He added: ‘The only time when it might have happened is when there is a change in fuel duty. So what traditionally used to happen is on Budget Day when the chancellor would announce that fuel duty is going up by midnight tonight so you’d get people coming in before to fill up.’
But in 2026, the government is bringing in a new fuel finder scheme that is set to be active from February and will allow consumers to compare prices.
Simon Williams, head of policy at the RAC, said: ‘This will require all retailers to report their prices on a daily basis and in half an hour of changing their prices. At the moment we just don’t have that knowledge.’
Luke said: ‘We’re hoping this will really spur competition so you might end up in a situation where if a retailer has low footfall they may change their price to try pull people in.’
In the meantime, Simon suggested the best thing for consumers to do would be to keep an eye on prices in your local area and use the My RAC app which has its own free fuel finder tool allowing you to compare prices between stations.
