MOTORISTS are having to fork out an extra 3p a litre for petrol as forecourts aren't passing on wholesale cuts.
That's according to the latest research from the RAC, which found that the average price per litre of petrol fell by just 0.27p to 129p last month.
That's despite wholesale prices coming down by nearly 4.5p to 97p a litre.
The RAC argues that forecourts should be charging 3p less at about 126p a litre.
Supermarket forecourts are also inflating prices, according to the RAC, with prices here only falling by 0.55p in August.
Average prices across Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco, while cheaper than other garages, still stood at 125p a litre when they could "easily be selling" at 122p a litre – again, a 3p difference.
Ways to cut down on your fuel costs
HERE are some tips on how you can slash the cost of fuel
- Make your car more fuel-efficient. You can do this by keeping your tyres inflated, taking the roof rack off, emptying your car of clutter and turning off your air con when driving at lower speeds.
- Find the cheapest fuel prices. PetrolPrices.com and Confused.com allows you to search prices of UK petrol stations. All you need to do is enter in your postcode and tell it how far you want to travel (up to 20 miles).
- Drive more efficiently. Some ways to do this, include:
- Accelerate gradually without over-revving
- Always drive on the highest possible gear
- If you can, allow your car to slow down naturally as your brake is a money burner
- Re-starting your car is expensive, if you can keep moving
And while 3p doesn't sound like a lot, that's £1.65 more on the average 55-litre tank family car.
RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “Drivers have the right to feel angry that the price of fuel did not fall more in August than it did.
“By our calculations retailers ought to be charging around 126p for a litre of unleaded based on a wholesale price of 98p a litre, which many retailers will have bought at a couple of weeks ago, and then factoring in delivery, a reasonable margin of 5p a litre and VAT.
"As for the supermarkets, they could easily be selling at around 122p."
Mr Williams adds that "at the very least" forecourts should have knocked 2p a litre off at the pumps by the end of the month.
The situation with diesel was similar but not as pronounced. Here, a litre decreased by 0.38p to 132p while its wholesale price fell by 1p a litre to 101.12p.
On a regional basis, Northern Ireland had the cheapest petrol at 126.01p a litre, while the South East was priciest at 129.72p a litre.
When it comes to diesel, the South West is the most dear at 131.66p a litre, while it's cheapest in Yorkshire and the Humber at 131.39p a litre.
Asda senior fuel buyer, Dave Tyrer said: “We know that fuel costs often impact on household incomes as prices fluctuate, but we remain focused on delivering the lowest possible prices for all our customers.”
While Esso told us that while it supplies fuel, it doesn't set forecourt prices as its garages are independent from it.
The Sun has contacted Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco, as well as BP, to offer a right of reply and we'll update this story if we get one.
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Earlier this month, the AA also accused garages of "ripping off" drivers by not passing on a 4p a litre wholesale cut.
Petrol prices shot up in July pushing the average cost of tank of fuel to £71.01 – and experts warn that more hikes lay ahead.
This came after they fell for first time in four months in June.
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