News imageBusiness Daily, Follow the money: Why is diesel so expensive?

Business Daily

Follow the money: Why is diesel so expensive?

13 October 2026

Available for over a year

The war in the Middle East has pushed up crude oil prices this year and that's had a knock-on effect on the price of refined oil products like diesel. But after months of conflict, the Gulf's oil-producing nations are now getting most of their exports out, so why hasn't the price of diesel come down? And will it fall now that Donald Trump has reached a deal allowing Russia to export diesel again? The BBC's Sam Fenwick traces the journey of a barrel of oil from the Middle East to the petrol pump, looking at the rising costs along the way.

(Photo: A worker fills a lorry with diesel in London on 2 October 2026. Credit: Yui Mok/PA)

You can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

Producer: Gideon Long