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The price of diesel at the pump in the United Kingdom has hit record highs due to the US-Israeli war on \u200bIran, the motoring body RAC said in a release on Monday.<\/strong><\/p>\n As well as \u200chitting motorists\u2019 pockets, high diesel costs are adding to logistical and transport costs for a vast array of goods, as the fuel is widely used in industry and agriculture.<\/p>\n The cost of a litre of diesel is now 199.18 \u200bpence and the cost of filling up an average family car is now almost \u00a3110, \u00a331 more \u200bthan before the conflict began, Simon Williams, the RAC\u2019s head of policy, said \u2060in the release.<\/p>\n The price high on Monday eclipsed the previous highest price of 199.09 pence in \u200bJune 2022, during the acute energy market shock in the aftermath of Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly \u200ba sustained lower oil price \u2014 over several weeks, not days \u2014 will lead to cheaper prices at the pumps \u2026 the government could take steps to ease the burden on drivers by lowering fuel duty further or reducing VAT,\u201d Williams \u200bsaid.<\/p>\n Fuel prices are one of the key drivers of UK inflation, which hit a five-month high in \u200bAugust, adding pressure on consumers who are grappling with a protracted cost-of-living crisis.<\/p>\n UK diesel prices are still lower \u200cthan \u2060in several European markets. RAC data for September 21 showed the UK was tied with Italy for the seventh-highest diesel prices among 15 European countries, with the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Belgium and France ranking above it.<\/p>\n International diesel prices have surged to record highs in recent months due to shrinking \u200bglobal refining capacity and \u200bsupply disruptions from conflicts \u2060in the Middle East and Ukraine.<\/p>\n Prices jumped again last week after US President Donald Trump voiced support for a potential ban on US diesel exports, which \u200bwould leave net importers like the UK and other European nations scrambling \u200bfor alternatives.<\/p>\n The \u2060UK has four working oil refineries with a combined crude processing capacity of 1 million barrels per day, down from 1.27 million bpd across six plants in 2024, as two sites closed last year.<\/p>\n Diesel imports \u2060made up \u200bnearly 40% of the UK\u2019s total imports of oil products \u200bin 2025, with the U.S. accounting for 31%, according to the recent Digest of UK Energy Statistics. The UK imports nearly 55% \u200bof the diesel it consumes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n