Petrol prices soar to highest level since 2022 as 20 million drivers prepare to hit the road for record August bank holiday getaway

Petrol prices have surged to their highest level since November 2022 just as millions of motorists prepare to take to the roads for what is expected to be the busiest August bank holiday weekend on record.The average price of unleaded reached 161.6p a litre on Thursday.That matches the highest level seen all summer, with conflict in the Middle East and continued volatility in global oil markets pushing up running costs for drivers in 2026.Diesel, meanwhile, has climbed back to an average of 183.4p a litre, a level not seen since the start of June.It is the last thing Britons wanted to hear on what has been dubbed 'Frantic Friday' – the first day of a bank holiday getaway expected to see unprecedented traffic levels.An estimated 20 million car journeys will be made between today and Monday as families make the most of the final long weekend before Christmas.The RAC said the figure is the highest since it began analysing summer bank holiday travel plans in 2015, warning that major routes are 'likely to be mired in traffic'.Filling the 55-litre fuel tank of a typical family car will cost around £89 this weekend. That compares with just £74 over last year's August bank holiday. Busiest August bank holiday on record: Around 20 million car journeys are expected between today and Monday as families make the most of the final long weekend before Christmas The AA said the pain at the pumps comes just a fortnight after the Competition and Markets Authority accused the road fuel sector of a 'lack of effective competition'.The watchdog said the 'continued use of passive pricing strategies by the majority of retailers' is 'contributing to sustained high margins'.According to the motoring organisation, that criticism is 'clearly reflected' in current forecourt prices.While the wholesale price of petrol has rebounded to 68.5p a litre following a rise in oil prices since early August, it remains below the late-April and early-May peak when it exceeded 72p a litre.Yet average pump prices this week are almost 2p a litre higher than the 159.7p recorded at the end of May following that earlier wholesale cost spike.By the end of July and into early August, wholesale petrol prices had briefly fallen by more than 10p a litre before renewed tensions involving the US and Iran sent costs rising sharply once again.According to the AA, that dramatic wholesale drop shaved a 'paltry' 0.4p a litre off the UK's average pump price, which had reached the summer high of 161.6p a litre during the weekend of August 7 to 10.In some areas where retailers are competing aggressively, drivers can still find petrol for around 10p a litre less than the national average. Yet only a few miles away, other forecourts are charging significantly more.Examples including parts of Greater Manchester, Bradford and Haslingden in Lancashire.LEFT: In Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a leafy, about four miles southwest of Manchester city centre, there is a massive 13p-a-lite price difference at local petrol stations. RIGHT: In Stalybridge in Tameside, Greater Manchester, a Texaco station on Thursday was charging 9p-a-litre less for unleaded than an Esso a few miles awayLEFT: In Keighley, Bradford, a Shell garage on Thursday was charging 8p-a-litre more for petrol than Asda, Gulf, Morrisons and a small independent filling station. RIGHT: In Haslingden, a town in the borough of Rossendale, Lancashire, there are more examples where retailers are selling petrol at a 7p-a-litre premium locallyJoin the discussionAre drivers being ripped off at the pumps or should we accept high petrol prices as the new normal?What's your view?'In many ways, UK pump pricing is back to its worst: too often overpriced and uncompetitive, with too many communities denied road fuel at a reasonable price - hence the competition watchdog's stinging criticism,' said Luke Bosdet, the AA's fuel pricing expert.'On the flipside, the means to beat this behaviour are now in place for those prepared to use fuel finder tools, such as the AA App, to locate forecourts offering fair prices.'The ability to scroll a map on a smartphone and spot cheaper fuel stations in neighbouring towns, along a commute or on a longer journey allows drivers to fight back. It is up to them to take advantage of this new pump-price transparency.'Current examples of towns where motorists can buy petrol and diesel at around 10p a litre, or £5 a tank cheaper than average, show that just one competitive forecourt can often pull down local fuel prices, including at nearby supermarkets. 'Drivers simply need to find them and use them.'Filling the 55-litre fuel tank of a typical family car will cost around £89 this weekend. That compares with just £74 over last year's August bank holiday. The RAC says some 4.1million motorists will take to the roads on Friday, followed by 3.8million on Saturday, 3.1million on Sunday and 3.4million on bank holiday Monday.A further 5.5million journeys will be spread across the four-day period, with many people unsure which day they will hit the road until nearer the time.As day-trippers compete for space on the roads with people going on short breaks, transport analytics firm Inrix identified a number of likely congestion hotspots:M25 anticlockwise from Junction 17 in Hertfordshire to Junction 12 in Surrey, which could see delays of up to 50 minutes around midday tomorrow;M25 clockwise from Junction 15 in Buckinghamshire to Junction 19 in Hertfordshire, where delays of nearly an hour are expected tomorrow night;M1 south from Junction 16 in Northamptonshire to Junction 6 in Hertfordshire, which could be blighted by delays of up to 70 minutes at around 3pm on Sunday;M5 south from Junction 15 near Bristol to Junction 23 in Somerset, where delays of up to 75 minutes are predicted at noon tomorrow as people head to the coast;M5 north from Junction 11 in Gloucestershire to Junction 1 in the West Midlands on Monday at around 7pm on Monday, where motorists face 45-minute delays;M5 North from junction 25 for Taunton to junction 15 for the M4 Almondsbury interchange, where delays of 45 minutes are expected at 3.30pm on Monday. CARS & MOTORING: ON TEST