Fuel costs outpacing UK inflation, ONS data shows
By Anthony Sharkey, Chief Operating Officer, New Reg Limited
Official ONS figures show fuel and lubricant prices rising at 22.3% a year, running well ahead of the UK's headline inflation rate of 2.6%.
The cost of running a car rarely moves in step with the cost of living generally, and the latest official figures from the Office for National Statistics show exactly how far apart they can drift. In the year to June 2026, the Consumer Prices Index for liquid fuels, vehicle fuels and lubricants rose by 22.3%, against a headline UK inflation rate of 2.6% over the same period.
That puts fuel cost inflation 19.7 percentage points above the general rate of price rises, meaning motorists filling up are seeing costs climb faster than most other household spending.
Month on month, fuel and lubricant prices moved by -3.8% in June 2026, giving an early signal of which way the annual figure is likely to move next.
What it means for drivers. The CPI fuel and lubricants component tracks the price households pay at the pump and for related products, official and independent of any single retailer. When it runs ahead of headline inflation, as it currently is, motoring becomes a larger share of the typical household budget; when it runs behind, driving costs ease relative to everything else. Shopping around between forecourts, and keeping a car properly serviced to protect fuel efficiency, matter most when this gap is wide.
About the data. Figures are the Consumer Prices Index published by the Office for National Statistics under the Open Government Licence, covering June 2026, the latest month available; ONS updates the index once a month. This is general information, not financial advice.
Verified against an official source
Office for National Statistics Consumer Prices Index (Open Government Licence), June 2026.
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