Fill Up in Town, Not on the M5 - Cheltenham Fuel Prices Compared
Petrol at the M5 services near Cheltenham costs up to 31p a litre more than the cheapest local supermarket. Here's what that means for a tank.
Filling up at the motorway costs a lot more than filling up in town. Using prices that stations reported to the government’s fuel price scheme in the ten days to 6 October 2026, the two forecourts at Strensham services on the M5 were charging 195.9p and 198.9p a litre for unleaded. The cheapest supermarket within 20 miles was 167.7p.
That’s a 31p gap: about £17 on a 55-litre tank.
Our fuel prices page updates every hour, so check it before you set off.
FAQs
How Much Do Prices Vary Inside Cheltenham?
- Much less than you might think. Within three miles of the town centre, unleaded ran from 169.7p to 173.9p a litre, a difference of about £2.30 on a 55-litre tank.
Are Supermarkets Cheaper?
- Usually. Across stations within 20 miles of Cheltenham, the middle supermarket price for unleaded was 170.9p a litre, against 174.9p at other forecourts, about £2.20 a tank.
Where Does the Data Come From?
- From the GOV.UK fuel price scheme, which requires larger retailers to publish their prices, under the Open Government Licence. We ignore prices more than ten days old, so a station that hasn’t reported recently won’t show up as the cheapest.
How Do I Keep Up With Cheltenham?
- Fuel prices change hourly, so the fuel prices page is the place to check. For everything else, The Cheltenham Week Ahead is a free Monday email with the week’s weather, roadworks, what’s on, what’s new on the site and the top local stories.