UK drivers are set to face higher fuel prices when filling their tanks as a result of the end of the fuel duty freeze. The tax, which is included in the price of fuels including petrol and diesel, is currently 52.95p per litre, a price that has stayed frozen since 2011, until it was slashed by 5p in 2022.

Now, for the first time in 15 years, the price of fuel is expected to rise, as a result of Chancellor Rachel Reeves' plans to raise the tax in line with inflation from September 2026.

The freeze will be reversed in three stages from September 2026, starting with a 1p-per-litre increase, and followed by a 2p-per-litre rise on December 1, 2026 and March 1, 2027, meaning by 2027 it will go back to being 57.95p per litre.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) noted that the freeze until September will cost £2.4 billion this year, and that the total cost of freezing fuel duty since 2011 has risen to £120 billion.

The change has been criticised by various people, including Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride, who claimed that the Conservative Party also managed to find the money to keep fuel duty frozen.

He said: "Now after just one year Labour are putting up the duty and reaching into the pockets of commuters and hardworking families - all because they are too weak to control spending."

There have been plenty of changes announced for UK drivers recently, including proposed rules and penalty changes for motoring offences, as part of the Government's Road Safety Strategy 2026.

The plan includes a three to six-month mandatory learning period after passing the theory test, mandatory eyesight tests every three years for over-70-year-olds, lowering the legal alcohol limit, and the introduction of "Alcolocks" for convicted drink-drivers.

Lilian Greenwood, Local Transport minister, said: "Our vision with this ambitious road safety strategy is clear: to ensure that people can travel safely on our roads however they choose."