According to the RAC, the United Kingdom has done less to alleviate the burden of high gasoline costs than other nations.
The United Kingdom is currently one of the most costly areas to fill up on the continent, and demands for the government to do more are reportedly “falling on deaf ears.”
In a ranking of European governments that have taken steps to reduce gasoline taxes, only Luxembourg did worse, with eleven countries offering more generous relief.
The 5p per liter reduction adopted by the United Kingdom in March is dwarfed by the gasoline tax cuts enjoyed by drivers in Germany (25.1p per liter), Italy (21.2p per liter), Portugal (16.2p per liter), the Netherlands (14.7p per liter), and Ireland (14.5p per liter).
The governments of France and Spain have implemented reductions at gas station pumps amounting to approximately 15 pence per liter and 17 pence per liter, respectively.
Some fuel providers, such as TotalEnergies in France and BP Spain, offer price savings of up to around 33 pence per liter.
In recent days, after seven weeks of pressure on retailers to reflect a decline in wholesale costs, gasoline prices in the United Kingdom have begun to fall.
At 186p per liter, prices are significantly higher than in the rest of the EU, except for Denmark (also 186p per liter) and Finland (190p).
French drivers pay approximately 23p per liter less than their British counterparts.
All but six of the fifteen European Union governments that have not taken action to reduce pump prices since March charge less gasoline duty than the United Kingdom.
For diesel, only Croatia has introduced a smaller fuel tax drop than the United Kingdom, and only one European Union country, Sweden, has a higher average price.
Simon Williams, the fuel spokesman for the RAC, stated that the analysis revealed an “uncomfortable truth” for the British government, namely that compared to other European nations, it has “done the least to protect drivers during the current era of record high gasoline costs.”
He added: “The upshot is that the United Kingdom is one of the most costly places to fill up, surpassing France and the Netherlands, which have historically paid more for fuel than UK retailers.
“The cost-of-living issue shows no indications of abating any time soon, and it’s disheartening that repeated requests for extra support from the British government are falling on deaf ears.
“Pump prices may finally be beginning to fall in the United Kingdom, but the reductions thus far are too small and too late, given the significant wholesale price drops retailers have enjoyed for nearly two months.”
Effects of war
Before Russia invaded Ukraine in February, fuel costs were already climbing, but the war aggravated the problem.
A decrease in Russian oil consumption has led to an increase in demand from other producers, resulting in higher prices.
In the United Kingdom, protests have included convoys of vehicles moving slowly on motorways.
