Some UK forecourts change fuel prices eight times in three days

A small number of UK forecourts are updating their unleaded prices multiple times a day rather than once, according to official UK government fuel price data covering the 72 hours to 12:32pm on 8 August 2025.

Of the six stations that changed their price three or more times in that window, the most active were two BP forecourts in Hull and one in Beverley, each recording eight separate price changes. The Beverley site, in the HU17 postcode, moved between 165.9p and 169.9p a litre across those changes, a swing of 4p per litre or roughly 18p per gallon. The Hull sites tracked a similar pattern, with prices moving between 165.9p and 168.9p a litre. A BP forecourt in Cottingham logged seven changes, ranging from 165.9p to 170.9p a litre, a spread of 5p per litre.

For most drivers the practical consequence is straightforward: the price displayed online or on a sign earlier in the day may not be the price at the pump when you arrive. Because these swings can happen several times between morning and evening, checking the live price immediately before setting off is more reliable than checking hours in advance. It is also worth noting that official guidance acknowledges some of these swings may reflect data-entry errors in a station's submission to the government scheme rather than genuine price changes, so treating unusually large movements with a degree of caution is reasonable.

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