THE latest survey of road fuel prices in the Republic show diesel is still marginally cheaper than in Northern Ireland, while petrol prices are lower in the north.
The AA’s July fuel price survey put the average price for diesel at €1.55 (£1.33) per litre in the Republic, two cents more than June.
The AA said the average petrol price across the border stands at €1.65 (£1.42) for July.
The latest survey by the Consumer Council in Northern Ireland revealed the average price of diesel was £1.375 (€1.60) on July 13.
The average petrol price in the north was £1.389 (€1.618).
Diesel in the north is now around 40p per litre cheaper than it was at the start of December 2022, while petrol is down by around 19ppl.
Fuel prices soared on the back of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. According to the Consumer Council data, the diesel price average in the north peaked at £1.975 in June 2022, with petrol hitting £1.899.
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In some locations, diesel breached the £2 mark.
Road fuel prices look set to rise in the Republic over the coming months as the Irish Government eases back the cut on excise duty introduced in March 2022, in response to the soaring price of oil.
If prices in Northern Ireland remain stable over the coming months, it could produce a scenario where both diesel and petrol are cheaper on average than in the Republic.
On September 1, the rate of excise duty will increase by 7 cents for petrol and 5 cents for diesel. The Irish Government will fully restore the rates on October 31 with a final increase of 8 cents for petrol and 6 cents for diesel.
This will bring the excise duty back up to €0.6367 (£0.55) on petrol and €0.53546 (£0.46) on diesel.
In the UK, fuel duty is currently levied at a flat rate of £0.5295 per litre for both petrol and diesel, while VAT at 20 per cent is then charged on both the product price and the duty.
Meanwhile, the AA said average EV (electric vehicle) driver in the Republic pays €1,158.99 (£995) to charge their car annually.
However, it said those taking advantage of smart meters and cheap night rates pay as little as €403.85 (£346.76) to cover the same 17,000km distance. Those charging exclusively on public chargers could pay more than €2,000 (£1,717) annually.
There does not appear to be an up-to-date comparison for breaking down the cost per mile of charging an EV car in Northern Ireland.
But a June report from the AA, based on electricity prices in Britain, suggests the same 17,000km (10,563 miles) would cost between £784 for slow off peak charging to £1,875 for fast and rapid peak charging.
Domestic electricity prices have traditionally been lower in Northern Ireland than in Britain and the Republic.
