“White Van Man is being clobbered” by additional fuel costs – FairFuelUK

Rising fuel prices could add up to £8,400 a year to the cost of running an HGV and around £360 to the annual fuel bill for a diesel van, according to FairFuelUK.

The campaign group has called for action in the October Budget as higher pump prices increase costs for motorists and businesses while also generating additional VAT revenue for the Treasury.

Official figures cited by FairFuelUK show average UK pump prices reached 164.4p per litre for petrol and 186.4p for diesel in the week to 7th September 2026.

FairFuelUK calculated that if diesel rises to 200p per litre, a small van covering 20,000 miles a year at an average 35mpg would face an additional annual fuel cost of around £360. A business operating three vans could therefore pay more than £1,000 extra a year.

Howard Cox, founder of the FairFuelUK Campaign, said: “White Van Man is being clobbered. Small businesses cannot absorb £300–£400 extra per van — they either pass it on to customers or take the hit themselves.”

The impact would be substantially greater for heavy goods vehicle operators. FairFuelUK estimates an articulated HGV travelling between 80,000 and 120,000 miles annually uses around 50,000 to 60,000 litres of diesel.

A 14p-per-litre increase from 186p to 200p would add between £7,000 and £8,400 to the annual fuel cost of each truck. For a fleet of 100 HGVs, the additional cost could reach between £700,000 and £840,000.

Cox warned: “Hauliers cannot swallow an extra £7,000–£8,000 per truck. These costs cascade through the entire economy. Rising diesel prices mean rising prices in every supermarket aisle.”