RAC fuel spokesperson Simon Williams said: “It’s very
disappointing that the CMA has found that major fuel retailers
are still taking far bigger margins than they have done in the
past, something we have been saying for a long time, as this
means drivers are still being taken advantage of at the pumps.
While supermarket margins may have fallen in the summer, our
latest data shows they have more than made up for this since then
and are currently taking very large margins.
“Even though off the back of the CMA report in the summer the
largest retailers are now voluntarily publishing their prices
daily for app-makers to use, our data shows this has had no
effect whatsoever in improving competition and lowering prices.
In fact, we believe the situation is currently worse than ever as
the wholesale fuel market is down significantly, yet forecourt
prices are falling like the proverbial feather.
“It’s blatantly clear to us that a price monitoring body – as
recommended by the CMA – is desperately needed as major retailers
cannot be trusted to price fuel fairly for their customers. But
unless this body has the power to take action against major
retailers that don’t lower prices quickly enough in a falling
wholesale market, we fear little will change even then.”
The free myRAC app allows all
drivers – whether RAC members or not – to compare prices of
individual fuel forecourts across the country, and is
comprehensive in its coverage.
