By DAVID CHURCHILL Published: , 13 April 2026 | Updated: , 13 April 2026 Relief for drivers at the pumps may not be far away as rocketing prices sparked by the Iran war have ‘almost ground to a halt’. The RAC said that while average pump prices for petrol and diesel have soared for more than six weeks since the Iran conflict started, they rose by less than half a penny between Thursday and today. It said this was largely down to the price of Brent crude remaining under $100 a barrel for three days in a row, but stressed the situation was ‘volatile’ and dependent on events in the Gulf.
Global oil prices fell after the US and Iran announced a temporary two-week ceasefire agreement last week. However, the Strait of Hormuz - which Iran blockaded - is still not fully open, meaning oil supplies could remain strangled and prices subject to fluctuations. Average petrol pump prices have soared nearly 20 per cent since the conflict erupted on February 28, from 132.
83p a litre to 158. 27p. It has added nearly £14 to the cost of filling the average 55-litre tank in a family car.
Diesel has soared at a much faster rate, climbing 35 per cent over the same period from 142. 38p a litre to 191. 50p - adding £27 to the cost of a fill-up.
This is partly because Britain is more reliant on imports for the fuel, whereas more oil is refined domestically into petrol. The RAC’s fuel guru, Simon Williams, said: ‘While pump prices have technically risen for a record 43 straight days, the increases have almost ground to a halt. ‘With dated Brent crude under $100 a barrel for the last three trading days, there's now scope to see prices finally starting to go the other way.
‘But, as always, it's a highly volatile situation with much depending on what happens with the Strait of Hormuz. ‘And, if the oil price was to go back up again this week, any hopes of slight forecourt reductions will inevitably disappear. ’It came as figures showed sales of consumer goods other than food were ‘tepid’ in March, suggesting extra fuel costs may have been eating into household budgets.
Non-food sales increased by 0. 9% year on year last month, below the 12-month average of 1. 1%, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG.
In an indicator of lower consumer confidence, online non-food sales increased by just 0. 1%, well below the year average of 1%. Demand was robust for computers, toys, and homeware, but clothing and footwear continued to struggle, while the disruption to international travel caused by uncertainty in the Middle East also hit sales of travel-related goods.