Brent crude has pushed past $90 a barrel in recent weeks, and UK drivers are already feeling the pinch at the pump. Meanwhile, the cumulative effect of several years of high inflation means that many workers' salaries are worth significantly less in real terms than they were just a few years ago.
To help you understand what is happening to your money, we have built five new free calculators. Four focus on fuel and motoring costs, and one uses official ONS data to show exactly how inflation has affected your purchasing power since 1988.
Four New Motoring Calculators
Whether you are planning a road trip, trying to work out if diesel still makes sense, or simply curious about why petrol costs what it does, these tools have you covered.
Fuel Cost Calculator
Enter your journey distance and your car's MPG to get an instant cost estimate based on current UK fuel prices. Covers petrol, diesel, and premium fuels.
Try it nowCrude Oil to UK Pump Price Calculator
See how barrel prices at $80, $90, $100, or $110 translate into pence per litre at UK pumps. Adjustable exchange rate and duty breakdown included.
Try it nowFuel Price Breakdown Calculator
Understand exactly where your money goes when you fill up. See the split between crude oil cost, refining, distribution, fuel duty (52.95p), and VAT.
Try it nowPetrol vs Diesel vs Electric Calculator
Compare annual running costs across fuel types. Enter your mileage and see which option saves you the most, factoring in fuel prices, electricity rates, and efficiency.
Try it nowDid you know?
Of the roughly 135p you pay for a litre of unleaded, around 53p is fuel duty and another 22.5p is VAT. That means nearly 56% of the pump price goes straight to the government, regardless of what crude oil costs. Our Fuel Price Breakdown Calculator shows you the full split.
Inflation & Purchasing Power Calculator
Alongside the fuel tools, we have rebuilt our Inflation & Purchasing Power Calculator using official ONS Consumer Price Index (CPI) data going back to 1988.
Enter any salary or amount, pick a start year, and the calculator instantly shows you what that money is worth in today's terms. For example, someone earning £25,000 in 2010 would need £38,700 today just to maintain the same standard of living. That is a 55% increase, and many workers have not seen pay rises anywhere close to that.
Inflation & Purchasing Power Calculator
Track how CPI has eroded your salary since 1988. Includes a 'Has My Pay Kept Up?' feature where you can enter your salary at different points in your career.
Try it nowThe calculator also includes a "Has My Pay Kept Up With Inflation?" feature. You can enter your salary at different points in your career, and it will tell you whether your pay rises have beaten, matched, or fallen behind CPI. It is a sobering exercise for many, but an important one.
Why These Calculators Matter Right Now
The connection between crude oil prices and what you pay at the pump is not always straightforward. Exchange rates, refining costs, fuel duty, and VAT all play a part. Our crude oil calculator lets you model different scenarios so you can see, for instance, what would happen to petrol prices if Brent hit $110 a barrel or if the pound weakened against the dollar.
Similarly, understanding inflation is not just an academic exercise. If you are negotiating a pay rise, planning for retirement, or simply trying to work out why your money does not stretch as far as it used to, having the actual numbers in front of you makes a real difference.
All five calculators are completely free to use, work on any device, and do not require you to sign up or hand over any personal information. That is the Calculator Site way.