Drivers battered by 17p diesel surge as the cost of filling a typical family car hits a crippling £100 once again

THE cost of filling your car with a litre of diesel has soared to £100 in a fresh blow for motorists. The average price of a litre of diesel has gone up by 17p a litre to 181.5p, up from a low point of 164.5p on July 9. As a result, the cost of a full tank of diesel for a 55-litre family car is once again at £100, the highest level since early June. Meanwhile, petrol prices have soared to 161.5p a litre, an increase of 11p since a low on July 6. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! It now costs £89 to fill a family car with petrol, the highest it’s been since the conflict in the Middle East started on February 28. The news will come as a fresh blow to millions of families driving off for getaways during the school summer holidays. Fuel prices have soared since the Iran conflict began, pushing up the wholesale cost of oil globally. A litre of petrol cost just 132.83p on the day the conflict broke out, while diesel cost 142.38p a litre. Meanwhile, renewed conflict in the region in recent weeks has sent oil and fuel prices soaring again. But Simon Williams, head of policy at the RAC, said there’s hope on the horizon for motorists off the back of news that the price of crude oil fell just below $80 a barrel on Tuesday. Most read in Money Meanwhile, supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are potentially being eased. He said: “Daily price rises should come to a halt and reductions should start to appear, providing the cost of a barrel stays around this level.” The news comes amid reports that almost £200,000 worth of fuel has been stolen from UK forecourts every day since the start of the crisis. With prices on the rise again, it’s worth getting into the habit of finding the lowest priced forecourts. Use our tool to help you find the closest petrol station near you… Comment now