PETROL retailers are cutting prices "too slowly" despite the average price of petrol falling by 9p in July, according to the RAC.

The wholesale cost – which is the price of fuel when it arrives at the forecourts – of unleaded has dropped to 131.75p per litre on average.

This is where prices stood in early May this year – at that point, drivers were paying around 167p per litre on average to fill up.

But lower prices have not been passed on at the pumps this time round – drivers are currently paying an average of 183p per litre at the pump.

The RAC has slammed the big four supermarkets – Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury's – by claiming they have failed to reduce prices in line with wholesale costs, as well as other forecourts.

That's despite several of the supermarket giants lowering prices recently.

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Asda was the first supermarket to slash the price of fuel – and it's now 12p cheaper than the national average.

While Sainsbury's cut its fuel prices last week in line with Asda by an average of 5p.

Tesco has cut the price of petrol by 6.5p a litre and diesel by 4.5p.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: "July has been an unnecessarily tough month for drivers due to the big four supermarkets' unwillingness to cut their prices to a more a reasonable level, reflecting the consistent and significant reductions in the wholesale cost of petrol and diesel.

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"As it was, we saw independent retailers leading the charge with fairer pump prices appearing all around the country which eventually forced the supermarkets to finally implement a more substantial cut late last Friday afternoon.

"What ought to have happened is that the biggest retailers cut their prices more significantly on a daily basis, given the wholesale price of petrol has fallen steadily over the last eight weeks."

It comes as petrol retailers have been criticised for not passing on the savings to motorists.

The AA said the price changes could see the cost of a tank drop by £10 within a fortnight.

Experts have advised motorists to look out for independent petrol stations who are under-cutting big names with smaller prices.

A Texaco petrol station in Walkden, Greater Manchester claimed to be the "cheapest petrol station" in the UK after selling unleaded petrol at 159.9p a litre.

It caused hundreds of drivers to queue up to fill up the cars for less at the garage.

While earlier this month, drivers rushed to a Shell garage at Trago Mills in Devon after unleaded petrol was being sold at 164.9p a litre.

Tesco, Asda and Morrisons were contacted for comment.

A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: "We are committed to offering motorists great value and over the weekend we lowered the price of petrol and diesel across our forecourts. We price locally and competitively."

How can I save money on fuel?

With petrol prices high, it can add a big cost onto your budget.

But there are some things you can do to save money.

You can always check petrol prices online before heading out to your nearest station.

Websites like Petrolprices.com let you search for petrol stations offering the best prices near you.

It's free to use for your first 20 searches.

Taking heavy items out of your car can help lessen the load and checking your tyre pressure can all help you increase fuel efficiency.

Or you could try using a loyalty scheme – many petrol stations operate them and they could see you racking up points which could be used to buy your petrol.

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Here we spoke to a motoring expert about the TikTok fuel hacks you should try, and the ones to avoid when trying to save money on petrol.

We also put together a guide on how you could save £190 at the petrol station.

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