Petrol and diesel prices have hit record highs this month with motorists being asked to pay price hikes well in excess of the budget tax increases. This is according to the AA director of policy Conor Faughnan. “You cannot leave a forecourt these days without feeling that you are being gouged,” Mr Faughnan said. “AA members have been contacting us in large numbers through the AA blog and by email, complaining bitterly about what looks to them like a rip off.
“But to be fair it is not really the fault of the local garage,” he added. “Three distinct factors have gone against us this month. The euro has weakened against the US dollar and the barrel of oil has risen from about $84 to over $91. But we have also seen the wholesale price of refined product, the gasoline and auto-diesel, rise sharply in price on European markets. That last factor is probably caused by the very cold weather of recent weeks which has pushed up demand and caused worries about supply. The excise duty increases in the budget make a bad situation worse. Motorists generally are expressing frustration and suspicion about oil companies and local garages.”
He revealed that the AA had occasionally found garages making opportunistic price rises and raised the issue with the Competition Authority.
A litre of petrol now costs an average of 140.1 cent, up a full nine cents on last month. Diesel also rose very sharply, up by 8.2 cent to 133.3 cent per litre.
The AA is again advising motorists to shop around for best value. Prices vary significantly from one service station to the next, and saving five cent per litre equates to a €2.50 saving on an average 50 litre tank.
The AA is asking its members and all motorists to share their concerns about prices and report any issues they come across via its website blog section, blog.aaireland.ie/
