The price spikes pose an early challenge to Prime Minister Burnham, who prioritized cost-of-living relief upon taking office.
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While Burnham introduced electricity VAT cuts and tax relief for pensioners, he has not indicated whether his administration will extend the temporary 5p fuel duty discount past its December 31 expiration date.
Automobile groups emphasized that holiday travelers bear the immediate financial brunt of the market shift.
"This is a bitter blow for the second wave of summer holiday road travellers, and it doesn't look as if it will get any better soon," said Luke Bosdet, Spokesman at the AA.
Bosdet pointed out that diesel demand and shipping risks remain critical variables for UK commercial fleets and domestic drivers alike.
"Petrol peaked at 159.7p in late May and more than half of the early summer pump savings are already gone.
Diesel reached 192.4p in mid April, and business is desperately hoping the average pump price won't get that bad," said Bosdet.
Bosdet added a minor silver lining regarding high-volume travel routes.
"A couple of pieces of good news are that pump prices at some notoriously expensive motorway service areas still remain lower than the worst showing earlier this year, now a shade below 182p a litre for petrol as opposed to just below 185p at Easter," said Bosdet.
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Government data shows the spread between wholesale costs and retail pump pricing widened significantly over the last week of July, while motoring groups advise drivers to adjust speeds and compare regional forecourt rates to mitigate costs.
