PRICE DROP
What is fuel duty and has the rate been frozen?
FUEL duty is a hot topic for drivers as they look to keep the costs of buying petrol and diesel down.
The Chancellor announced in his Spring Budget that the 13-year fuel duty freeze and the 5p cut have been extended for a 14th year.
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What is fuel duty?
Fuel duty is a tax on fuel including petrol, diesel, biodiesel and bioethanol.
VAT (Value Added Tax) is also charged on most fuel.
The Sun's Keep it Down campaign has forced ministers to freeze duties for 13 years in a row.
How much is fuel duty per litre?
The fuel duty tax has been frozen at 57.95p for every litre since March 2011.
However, on March 23, 2022, Sunak announced that it would be cut by 5p per litre from 6pm that evening.
This measure has been extended a second time.
The 5p duty freeze announced by PM Rishi Sunak in the wake of the war in Ukraine was due to come to an end this month.
But Mr Hunt — who spared drivers a 12p a litre fuel hike in his first full Budget last year — extended it for another year in his make-or-break pre-election update on UK finances.
"This will save the average car driver £50 next year and bring total savings since the 5p cut was introduced to around £250."
What has Jeremy Hunt said on fuel duty?
Hailing the The Sun's campaign in his Budget speech, Mr Hunt said the move will save motorists an average of £50 next year.
He told the Commons: "I have listened again to my right honourable friends for Stoke-on-Trent North (Jonathan Gullis), Dudley North (Marco Longhi), Witham (Priti Patel) and others, as well as the Sun Newspaper’s 'Keep it Down' campaign.
"I have as a result decided to maintain the 5p cut and freeze fuel duty for a further 12 months.
"This will save the average car driver £50 next year and bring total savings since the 5p cut was introduced to around £250."
How can I cut fuel costs?
There are ways to save an extra 5p per litre if you sign up for major supermarket loyalty schemes.
Esso has partnered with Nectar for its loyalty scheme and you can get 5p off a litre when you swap 300 Nectar points.
Drivers with a BPme rewards card will get one point for every £1 they spend in-store or on a litre of regular fuel at a BP garage.
Motorists will get £1 off their fuel or shopping for every 200 points.
Texaco, Shell, Sainsbury's and Tesco loyalty card holders can also get money off their bills.
You can also cut fuel costs by driving more efficiently. This can be achieved by:
- Accelerating gradually without over-revving
- Always driving in the highest possible gear
- Allowing your car to slow down naturally as your brake
There are also sites you can use to help you find the cheapest petrol prices near you, like PetrolPrices.com and Confused.com.
These allow you to search the prices of UK petrol stations. All you need to do is enter your postcode and tell it how far you want to travel (up to 20 miles).
It's also so easy to forget about the clutter building up in your car - whether it's tools, kids' toys or general rubbish.
However, additional storage space can increase fuel costs by a whopping 12%.
So, don't forget to do a car clearout every now and then.
And, if you're driving at a slower speed, think about taking the roof rack off and switching off the air-con to save on running costs.
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