Cheapest fuel in Cornwall as RAC issues price warning

The RAC has issued a warning to anyone buying petrol and diesel and revealed prices have risen by 10p so far in 2024. The motoring body is calling on the government to take action to stop retailers taking unfair margins on forecourts.

It’s important to shop around – the difference between pumps within five miles can be as little as 10p per litre. Between petrol and diesel we found prices from 142.9 to 166.9 to Cornwall (see the full list below). You can use our gadget below to check where the cheapest petrol and diesel are in your area.

The 10p rise added £5.50 to the cost of filling up a family car, data from RAC Fuel Watch showed. Unleaded rose 3p last month to 149.95p, while diesel rose 2p to 157.76p, taking a 55 liter tank of petrol to £82.47 (up £1.70 on April) and diesel at £86.77 (up £1.10 on April).

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See the gadget below for the lowest prices near major towns in Cornwall and/or use our postcode fuel price checker below to see how much it costs near where you live

The lowest petrol and diesel prices this year were both recorded on January 16 – 139.7p and 147.6p respectively. The RAC said: “With increases at the pump taking a heavy toll on household budgets, the RAC is calling on the Government and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to address some glaring issues with fuel retail which have been highlighted yet from the country’s largest retailers began voluntarily publishing their fuel prices every day last September.

“The RAC wants the CMA, which is now responsible for monitoring prices alongside overseeing the forthcoming government-mandated ‘Pump Watch’ scheme, to address ongoing issues with unfair retailers’ margins, which prompt drivers to strike a bargain gross on UK forecourts – something clearly shown in the CMA’s market study, which concluded that drivers will be overcharged by £900m in 2022.”

Here are the cheapest places within five miles of the main towns in Cornwall.

Truro

Sainsbury’s, Treyew Road, Truro, TR1 3XL – Petrol – 148.9p, Diesel – 155.9p

Esso, Chiverton Cross, TR4 8HS – Petrol – 151.9p, Diesel – 156.9p

Shell, Tregolls Road, Truro, TR1 1PU – Petrol – 156.9p, Diesel – 165.9p

Shell, playground, TR3 6HA – petrol – 157.9p, diesel – 166.9p

Penzance

Tesco, Branwell Lane, Penzance, TR18 3DU – Petrol – 146.9p, Diesel -153.9p

Sainsbury’s, Eastern Green, Penzance, TR18 3AP – Petrol – 146.9p, Diesel -153.9p

Morrisons, Eastern Way, Long Rock, TR18 3RF – Petrol – 152.4p, Diesel – 160.4p

Camborne and Redruth

Tesco, Wesley St , Camborne, TR14 8DT – Petrol – 142.9p, Diesel -155.9p

Tesco, Tolgus Hill, Redruth, TR15 1AX – Petrol – 147.9p, Diesel – 155.9p

Morrisons, Pool, TR15 3NH – Petrol – 159.9p, Diesel -165.9p

Esso, Chiverton Cross, TR4 8HS – Petrol – 151.9p, Diesel – 156.9p

Falmouth

Asda, Jennings Road, Penryn, TR10 9LY – Petrol – 146.7p, Diesel -153.7p

Esso, Falmouth, TR11 2EJ – Petrol – 148.9p, Diesel -154.9p

Bodmin

Asda, Launceston Road, Bodmin, PL31 2AR – Petrol – 149.7p, Diesel – 157.7p

Morrisons, Priory Road, Bodmin, PL31 2ST – Petrol – 152.7p, Diesel – 160.7p

Newquay (within 10 miles)

Morrisons, Treloggan Road, Newquay, TR7 2GZ – Petrol – 151.7p, Diesel – 158.7p

Shell, A30, St Newlyn East, TR8 5AY – Petrol – 158.9p, Diesel – 168.9p

Shell, Kingsley Village, TR9 6NA – Petrol – 159.9p, Diesel – 169.9p

St Austell

Asda, Cromwell Road, St Austell, PL25 4PR – Petrol – 146.7p, Diesel – 155.7p

Tesco, Daniels Lane, St Austell, PL25 3HT – Petrol – 146.9p, Diesel – 156.9p

Applegreen, Pennewick Road Service Station, St Austell, PL25 5DP – Petrol – 147.8p, Diesel – 156.8p

Wadebridge

Tesco, West Hill , Wadebridge, PL27 7HW – Petrol – 142.9p, Diesel – 153.9p

BP, West Hill, Wadebridge, PL27 7HT – Petrol – 153.9p, Diesel – 159.9p

Bude

Morrisons, Stucley Road, Bude, EX23 8UA – Petrol – 152.9p, Diesel – 160.9p

Shell, Bencoolen Road, Bude, EX23 8PL – Petrol – 158.9p, Diesel – 166.9p

Launceston (within 10 miles)

Tesco, Tavistock Rd, Callington, PL17 7RD – Petrol – 141.9p, Diesel – 153.9p

Tesco, Tavistock Road, Launceston, PL15 9HG – Petrol – 145.9p, Diesel – 155.9p

Esso, Bodmin Moor Services, PL15 7RR – Petrol – 151.9p, Diesel – 159.9p

• The RAC believes that if the largest retailers charged fairer margins, it would lead to:
• Fuel prices across the UK are falling to match those in Northern Ireland, which are consistently £5 per liter (£2.50 per tank) lower.
• The end of the postcode lottery, which sees individual traders often charge wildly different prices at the yards they operate – these can vary by an average of 17 per liter from the cheapest to the most expensive sites, but can go up to to 36 pepts.
• The end of “rocket and feather” pricing, which results in forecourt prices rising much faster in a growing wholesale market than they fall when wholesale costs fall
• Diesel drivers are not constantly overloaded. This is a common occurrence borne by retailers who increase margins on diesel to subsidize the price of petrol

RAC Fuel Watch data for April reveals that retailers’ margins have risen dramatically, despite the CMA raising concerns about the issue as recently as late March. The average margin for unleaded is currently 9.5pa a litre, while the margin for diesel has risen to 18p, up 6p in April alone. The average long-term margin for both fuels is just 8p.