Diesel sales in Great Britain tumble while gasoline sales barely move

London (Quantum Commodity Intelligence) - Pump sales of ultra-low sulfur diesel in Great Britain have dropped sharply, in contrast to gasoline sales which have maintained upward momentum to remain close to pre-pandemic levels, data from the UK government showed Thursday.

Average daily sales of diesel at fillings stations in England, Scotland and Wales fell to 9,311 litres per station over the week to June 6, down 758 litres per day from the prior week.

A sample of 4,500 stations are used to compile the data.

Sales were boosted in the week to May 30 by a public holiday, and a drop in diesel demand was expected.

But last week's figures were the second-lowest in eight weeks.

Only the week to May 9 saw a lower daily average, which also followed a public holiday.

Meanwhile, pump sales of gasoline fell marginally to 6,956 litres a day, per station, over the week to June 7, down 156 litres a day from a week earlier.  

Gasoline sales were the second-highest since the first lockdown in March 2020 and were only bettered by the week to May 30.

Last week's gasoline sales accounted for 96% of typical levels before the pandemic, while diesel sales were only 89%.