There was some good news for Britain's hard-pressed motorists yesterday.
Average petrol prices have fallen below 150p a litre for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine.
The AA said pump prices hit 149.74p per litre on Monday - down from a record 191.53p in July.
The motoring group explained that falling global oil prices were behind the drop, calling it "a huge relief for drivers".
But it said diesel still costs more now at 172.21p a litre compared with 153.05p last February.
AA spokesman Luke Bosdet said it now cost about £23 less to fill an average-sized 55-litre car with petrol than it did in July.
Fresh rises on way?
However, he said petrol prices were "still historically way above" what they should be and that the end of a temporary fuel-duty cut this March could lead to fresh rises.
Petrol stations in cities and towns are also charging up to 10p more for fuel than those in rural parts of the UK, he added.
Fuel prices began to rise last year as countries ended Covid lockdowns but surged even higher when Russia - a major oil producer - invaded Ukraine, sparking concerns about global supplies.
By July last year, the cost of filling an average-sized car had hit £105.29, according to the RAC motoring group, while for diesel it was £109.47.
The government has cut fuel duty by 5p a litre since February last year to help drivers, with the overall cut worth 6p when VAT is factored in, the AA says.
However, the discount is scheduled to end in March.
Concerns fall
David Cox, an independent energy analyst, told the BBC that concerns over global oil supplies had fallen as countries had found alternatives to Russian crude, sending prices lower.
However, he warned oil prices were likely to rise again as China eased its strict Covid rules and fully reopened its economy.
The petrol-price news comes as the RAC said the cost of rapid-charging an electric car using a public charging network had increased by about 50% in the past eight months.
It now costs an average of 70.32p per kilowatt hour to rapid charge on a pay-as-you-go basis, up from 44.55p last May and from 63.29p last September, the motoring group said.
The rises - which are being driven by increasing energy costs - mean that drivers now pay £36 to charge a typical family-sized electric car with a 64kWh battery to the level required to cover around 188 miles, it said.
However, it added that those who charged at home were still getting "great value" - only paying about half as much.
The RAC's electric vehicles spokesman, Simon Williams, said cutting the level of VAT on electricity sold at public chargers to 5% to match what people pay at home would be one way of keeping prices under control.