The Cheapest Places To Get Petrol In Wales Right Now
Researchers at Admiral Car Insurance calculated how much the average motorist is set to spend on petrol over the next 12 months, based on the local cost of fuel vs local median salaries. Based on motorists travelling the UK average of 7,490 miles per year, they multiplied the local cost of refuelling with petrol (as of 19th April 2022) and compared it to the local median salary in each of England’s counties.
The most expensive places to refuel your car in Wales
Monmouthshire ranked as the most expensive place to refuel in Wales with an average petrol price per litre of 165.1 with an average annual mileage cost of a whopping £1,134.
Flintshire ranked as 2nd most expensive place with a petrol price of 164.1 per litre (average annual cost of £1,127) and Vale of Glamorgan and Isle of Anglesey both ranking as the 3rd most expensive petrol prices (both 163.9 petrol price per litre).
| Ranking | County | Average petrol price per L (p) | Annual mileage cost (£)* |
| 1 | Monmouthshire | 165.1 | 1,134 |
| 2 | Flintshire | 164.1 | 1,127 |
| 3 | Vale of Glamorgan | 163.9 | 1,126 |
| 3 | Isle of Anglesey | 163.9 | 1,126 |
| 5 | Neath Port Talbot | 163.5 | 1,123 |
| 6 | Newport | 163.3 | 1,122 |
| 7 | Denbighshire | 162.4 | 1,115 |
| 8 | Conwy | 162.3 | 1,115 |
| 9 | Merthyr Tydfil | 161.4 | 1,109 |
| 10 | Rhondda Cynon Taf | 160.7 | 1,104 |
*Based on the average yearly mileage (7490 miles).
The least expensive places to refuel your car in Wales
Powys ranked as the cheapest place to refuel in Wales with an average petrol price per litre of 149.4 and an average annual mileage cost of a whopping £1,026.
Bridgend ranked in 2nd place with an average petrol price of 156.3 per litre and Wrexham ranked as the 3rd cheapest place to refuel with an average price of 158.2 per litre.
| Ranking | County | Average petrol price per L (p) | Annual mileage cost (£)* |
| 1 | Powys | 149.4 | 1,026 |
| 2 | Bridgend | 156.3 | 1,074 |
| 3 | Wrexham | 158.2 | 1,087 |
| 4 | Cardiff | 158.6 | 1,090 |
| 4 | Pembrokeshire | 158.6 | 1,090 |
| 6 | Blaenau Gwent | 159.5 | 1,096 |
| 7 | Caerphilly | 159.8 | 1,098 |
| 8 | Gwynedd | 159.9 | 1,099 |
| 9 | Carmarthenshire | 160.1 | 1,100 |
| 10 | Swansea | 160.4 | 1,102 |
*Based on the average yearly mileage (7490 miles).
The most unaffordable places to refuel your car in Wales
Researchers also compared the petrol costs to the average wages in each region to determine where has the most unaffordable prices.
Denbighshire ranked as the most unaffordable place to refuel in Wales with an average petrol price per litre of 162.4 (equivalent to 12.1% of the average hourly wage in Denbighshire).
| Ranking | County | Average petrol price per L (p) | Cost of a litre of petrol vs average hourly salary? (%) |
| 1 | Denbighshire | 162.4 | 12.1% |
| 2 | Gwynedd | 159.9 | 12.0% |
| 3 | Newport | 163.3 | 11.8% |
| 4 | Merthyr Tydfil | 161.4 | 11.8% |
| 5 | Torfaen | 160.5 | 11.6% |
| 6 | Blaenau Gwent | 159.5 | 11.6% |
| 7 | Powys | 11.6% | |
| 8 | Pembrokeshire | 158.6 | 11.4% |
| 9 | Neath Port Talbot | 163.5 | 11.3% |
| 10 | Conwy | 162.3 | 11.3% |
The most affordable places to refuel your car in Wales
Monmouthshire may have ranked as the most expensive place to refuel but it also ranked as the most affordable for its residents with it costing an estimated 9.4% of the average hourly salary in Monmouthshire.
Even more surprisingly, Cardiff ranked as the 2nd most affordable place to refuel in Wales, with petrol costing its residents 10.4% of their average hourly salary.
| Ranking | County | Average petrol price per L (p) | Cost of a litre of petrol vs average hourly salary? (%) |
| 1 | Monmouthshire | 165.1 | 9.4% |
| 2 | Cardiff | 158.6 | 10.4% |
| 3 | Carmarthenshire | 160.1 | 10.8% |
| 4 | Isle of Anglesey | 163.9 | 10.8% |
| 5 | Bridgend | 156.3 | 11.0% |
| 6 | Wrexham | 158.2 | 11.0% |
| 7 | Caerphilly | 159.8 | 11.1% |
| 8 | Swansea | 160.4 | 11.1% |
| 9 | Rhondda Cynon Taf | 160.7 | 11.1% |
| 10 | Vale of Glamorgan | 164.1 | 11.2% |
One thing is for sure, the cost of both fuel and energy is crippling Welsh residents, and the announcement of record profits by BP yesterday won’t ease motorists’ frustrations. The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson yesterday ruled out a windfall tax on energy companies but the weight of public opinion could well change his mind. In the meantime, Welsh drivers will continue to struggle, at least for the time being.
Methodology
- Researchers at Admiral Car Insurance calculated how much the average motorist is set to spend on petrol over the next 12 months, based on the local cost of fuel vs local median salaries.
- Based on motorists travelling the UK average of 7,490 miles per year, they multiplied the local cost of refuelling with petrol (as of 19th April 2022) and compared it to the local median salary in each of Wales’ counties.
UK fuel prices per location were sourced from All Star Card. The average hourly salary is the median hourly salary (2021) in each location for full-time workers was gathered from the Office of National Statistics. Average yearly mileage (7490 miles) is based on averages from the yearly data produced by the RAC and the average fuel usage per 100km (converted to 100m) is 5.7L per 100km was sourced from the Department of Transport statistics.