Should motorway fuel be cheaper? Service stations trial 8p price cut on fuel

20th Jul 2020

Good news for drivers looking for a better deal on fuel: motorway services operator Moto will slash prices by eight pence per litre as part of a new trial at three of their service stations.

If the move proves to be a success, the UK’s largest motorway services operator hopes to roll out the price change to all 47 of their forecourts.

Drivers filling up at Frankley (north and south) on the M5 near Birmingham, Lancaster (north and south) on the M6, and Donington Park on the M1 near Derby, will benefit from the cut-price fuel for an initial three months.

Unleaded petrol will cost 111.9p per litre, while diesel will cost 117.9p per litre, in a move that matches the cost of fuel at local filling stations and falls within 5p per litre of the average supermarket fuel price.

Moto believe the reduction will save more than £4 on the cost of filling the average fuel tank.

Moto chief executive Ken McMeikan said: “Times are tough, and we know from our customer insight that motorists want to see lower fuel prices to help them make their money go as far as possible.

“We are hoping that, subject to a successful trial, we will be able to roll out these fuel price cuts to all our Moto-operated petrol stations.”

Mr McMeikan has also written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak calling for a cut in VAT on fuel, to match the VAT cut for the hospitality sector which has been reduced from 20% to 5%.

Fuel duty accounts for 57.95p per litre of fuel before 20% VAT is added to final costs.

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News of Moto’s price cuts comes after three months of falling fuel prices came to an end in June.

RAC Fuel Watch found that a litre of unleaded increased by nearly 4p from 107.11p on 1 June to 110.85p (3.74p) on 30 June.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “The pump price rises witnessed in June will have been a nasty shock to the system for drivers.

“While those who continued to drive regularly throughout the pandemic will have benefited from some very low prices, millions won’t have so will be disappointed that just as they start to drive more again prices are on the up.”

You can find loads of practical money-saving tips for drivers here, and learn how to save fuel here.

Will Moto’s price cut encourage you to fill up at their service stations?

Let us know what you think in the comments below.