In this section: Your bills
How much tax is in petrol?
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
As of 21 September 2026, 81.6p of the UK's 172.0p average litre of petrol is tax — 47% of what you pay. That is 52.95p of fuel duty plus 28.7p of VAT, charged at 20% on the fuel and on the duty. The remaining 90.4p covers the crude oil, refining, distribution and the forecourt's margin. Pump prices are the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's weekly UK average; the duty rate is the one HMRC applied that week.
Figure as of 21 September 2026. Source: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Not updated since 21 September 2026
Key figures
- 172.0pUK average petrol, a litre up on a year earlier: +37.9p (+28.2%) vs 22 September 2025
- 81.6pTax in each litre up on a year earlier: +6.3p (+8.4%) vs 22 September 2025
- £44.89Tax on a 55-litre fill up on a year earlier: +£3.47 (+8.4%) vs 22 September 2025
- 52.95pFuel duty in each litre Frozen until at least 31 December 2026
What is in a litre of petrol?
| Part of the price | Pence per litre | Share |
|---|---|---|
Fuel, refining and retailDetails for Fuel, refining and retail | 90.4p | 53% |
| ||
Fuel dutyDetails for Fuel duty | 52.95p | 31% |
| ||
VAT at 20%Details for VAT at 20% | 28.7p | 17% |
| ||
Tax in totalDetails for Tax in total | 81.6p | 47% |
| ||
Pump priceDetails for Pump price | 172.0p | 100% |
| ||
How much tax do I pay on a tank?
A 55-litre fill of petrol carries £44.89 of tax: £29.12 of duty and £15.77 of VAT.
- Crude oil £30.05
- Refining, distribution and retail £19.66
- Fuel duty tax £29.12
- VAT at 20% tax £15.77
- A 55-litre fill £94.61
Crude is Brent at that week’s exchange rate; refining, distribution and retail is what is left after crude, duty and VAT, as on the oil price page.
Show as a table
| Part | Pounds |
|---|---|
| Crude oil | £30.05 |
| Refining, distribution and retail | £19.66 |
| Fuel duty (tax) | £29.12 |
| VAT at 20% (tax) | £15.77 |
| Total: A 55-litre fill | £94.61 |
Figure as of 21 September 2026. Source: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Not updated since 21 September 2026
Figure as of 21 September 2026. Source: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Not updated since 21 September 2026
Figure as of 21 September 2026. Source: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Not updated since 21 September 2026
Figure as of 21 September 2026. Source: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Not updated since 21 September 2026
Why is VAT charged on the duty?
VAT applies to the whole pump price, duty included, so every penny of duty costs you 1.20p. At today's rate that tax on a tax adds about 10.6p to a litre. It also means VAT always works out at exactly one sixth of whatever you pay at the pump, whichever forecourt you use.
Is petrol taxed more than diesel?
No. Duty is the same flat rate on both: 52.95p a litre. Petrol and diesel differ at the pump because of what they cost to make, not because of tax. Diesel averages 195.5p, so it carries 85.5p of tax against 81.6p on petrol — the difference is VAT following the higher price, not a higher rate.
| Fuel | Pump price | Duty | VAT | Tax share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Petrol (E10)Details for Petrol (E10) | 172.0p | 52.95p | 28.7p | 47% |
| ||||
Diesel (B7)Details for Diesel (B7) | 195.5p | 52.95p | 32.6p | 44% |
| ||||
How has the tax on petrol changed?
Duty is unchanged on a year ago, frozen at 52.95p until at least 31 December 2026. Total tax per litre still moves, because VAT is a percentage: when the pump price rises, the VAT on it rises too. Tax per litre is +6.3p (+8.4%) on a year earlier, while the pump price is +37.9p (+28.2%).
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | Duty |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 45.82p |
| 2004 | 47.10p |
| 2005 | 47.10p |
| 2006 | 47.10p |
| 2007 | 48.35p |
| 2008 | 50.35p |
| 2009 | 52.35p |
| 2010 | 56.19p |
| 2011 | 58.95p |
| 2012 | 57.95p |
| 2013 | 57.95p |
| 2014 | 57.95p |
| 2015 | 57.95p |
| 2016 | 57.95p |
| 2017 | 57.95p |
| 2018 | 57.95p |
| 2019 | 57.95p |
| 2020 | 57.95p |
| 2021 | 57.95p |
| 2022 | 57.95p |
| 2023 | 52.95p |
| 2024 | 52.95p |
| 2025 | 52.95p |
| 2026 | 52.95p |
| 2026 | 52.95p |
Figure as of 21 September 2026. Source: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Not updated since 21 September 2026
Common questions
- How much tax is on a litre of petrol in the UK?
- 81.6p of the 172.0p average litre, or 47%: 52.95p fuel duty plus 28.7p VAT, as of 21 September 2026.
- How much tax is on a 55-litre tank of petrol?
- About £44.89, of which £29.12 is fuel duty and £15.77 is VAT.
- Is VAT charged on fuel duty?
- Yes. VAT at 20% applies to the whole pump price including the duty, so each penny of duty costs 1.20p and the tax on the tax adds about 10.6p a litre.
Use this data
The figures belong to the bodies that published them and are used under their terms, listed in Sources for this page; most are Crown copyright under the Open Government Licence. Only our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, published under CC BY 4.0: reuse them, including commercially, if you credit Tekstak Ltd and link back to this page.
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- UK average petrol pump price, weekly since 2003 (CSV) JSON Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Open Government Licence v3.0
- Fuel duty on petrol, weekly since 2003 (CSV) JSON Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Open Government Licence v3.0
- All data, field definitions and licences
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Sources for this page
| Source | Publisher | Figures as of | Updated | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly road fuel prices | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | 21 September 2026 | weekly not updating | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
| Brent crude oil spot price (FRED DCOILBRENTEU) | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis | 22 September 2026 | daily not updating | US public domain, via FRED (FRED terms of use) |
| US dollar / sterling (FRED DEXUSUK) | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis | 25 September 2026 | daily not updating | US public domain, via FRED (FRED terms of use) |
Each source's figures are used under the licence shown. Our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, under CC BY 4.0.