Pump Price Breakdown

Why is petrol so expensive in the UK? A full breakdown of where your money goes

You pull onto the forecourt, the pump ticks over to £60, and you drive off wondering how on earth a tank of fuel costs as much as a weekly shop. It's a fair question — and the answer is that the price on the display isn't really one price at all. It's five separate things stacked on top of each other, and only one of them actually pays for the petrol.