Fuel margins of retailers – the difference between what a retailer pays for its fuel and what it sells at – remain around the high levels seen during the CMA’s road fuel market study.
Supermarket fuel margins increased over the May to August 2024 period, up from 7.0% in April to 8.1% in August. Non-supermarket fuel margins also increased from 7.8% in April to 10.2% in August.
The sustained increase in the level of fuel margins is concerning and suggests that overall levels of competition in the road fuel retail market remain weakened.
Fuel prices
Fuel prices decreased for both petrol and diesel from June to October 2024. These movements reflect in part changing crude oil prices and refining spreads, both of which are driven by global factors.
The average petrol and diesel prices at the end of October were 134.4 and 139.7 pence per litre (ppl) respectively. This represents a decrease of 10.0 ppl and 10.4 ppl in petrol and diesel prices than the previous four months.
Retail spreads
The CMA also looked at the retail spread – the average price that drivers pay at the pump compared to the benchmarked price that retailers buy fuel at – over July to October 2024.
Retail spreads were above the long-term average of 5-10 ppl, with petrol averaging 14.9 ppl and diesel averaging around 16.3 ppl. Retail spreads have been above long-term averages since 2020, indicating an ongoing lack of retail competition in the sector.
While spread analysis can give a quick overview of trends in the sector, it is a less reliable indicator of competitive intensity than individual retailers’ fuel margins. Retail spreads increase and decrease in response to the volatility of wholesale prices but should return to a normal range over time.
