Diesel prices plummeted a record 17p a litre last month as oil prices fell amid easing tensions with Iran

Diesel prices plunged by almost 17p a litre in June, marking the most significant decline in the cost to fill up between the start and the end of the same month since records began in 2000. The sizable declines at fuel station forecourts were triggered by a substantial drop in oil prices on the back of a deal between the US and Iran to end the conflict in the Middle East. This saw Brent crude - the international benchmark - slide from $93 a barrel to just $73 over the 30-day period, with savings passed on to the nation's drivers at the pumps.  At the beginning of June, the UK average price of a litre of diesel was 183.75p. However, by the end of the month, it had tumbled by 16.6p to 167.14p. This is the largest known fall in the cost of a litre over the course of a single month, beating the previous record by almost 5p, according to RAC Fuel Watch. For drivers filling up a typical family car with a 55-litre fuel tank, it translates to a £9 saving at the pumps, falling from £101 to just under £92.  The average price of petrol also went into reverse by 8p in June – the seventh greatest monthly fall in the last 26 and a half years – as UK forecourts slashed a litre from 159.37p to 151.40p.  It means petrol car owners saved £4.40 per tank at the end of the month compared to the start. At the beginning of June, the UK average price of a litre of diesel was 183.75p. However, by the end of the month, it had tumbled by 16.6p to 167.14p. The 16.6p decline is the biggest on record The diesel pump price drop was even greater at the 'big four' supermarkets - ASDA, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco. The average price of diesel dived 19p a litre from 182.37p to 163.28p.  The unleaded reduction, however, was slightly smaller than the UK-wide one, at 7p. The price of motorway fuel also fell by nearly 8p for unleaded – 179.78p to 171.67p - but diesel's decline wasn't as steep as that seen across the whole of the nation, only coming down 14p from 201.07p to 187.24p. Simon Williams, head of policy at the RAC, said that while the savings on motoring-related costs were welcome, drivers are still paying more at forecourts today than they were before the war broke out. 'While diesel dropping 17p in a month is very positive, it's also important to realise that its average price shot up 49p a litre from the end of February to 191.54p on 15 April, which equates to a rise of more than a penny a day,' he explained. But he says fuel prices should continue to fall over the coming days. 'Fortunately, the oil price is now in the low-$70s range which is only $10 above the average of the first two months of the year,' he said.  'At the time the conflict began drivers had average prices of 132p for unleaded and 142p for diesel, so we're still some way off those levels. 'As things stand, petrol should dip under 150p soon and diesel ought to get to below 160p but we would need the price of oil to fall further to see a return to the pre-conflict prices.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.