Petrol prices during 2012 have been up and down like a fiddler's elbow, but the good news is that the average motorist is now paying no more for a litre of fuel than they were last Christmas.
The AA's December Fuel Price Report shows that motorists are currently forking out 132.2p for a litre of petrol, compared to 132.25p at the beginning of 2012.
It's the same story with diesel. Currently, a litre of DERV will set you back 140.38p, compared to 140.56p at the start of the year.
But these figures only tell half of the story. Thanks to the massive 10p-per-litre swings in fuel prices during the spring and the autumn, the average price of a tank of petrol was around £1.50 higher during 2012 than it was in 2011. Diesel was also more expensive, with prices rising by around £1.75 litre per tank over 2011 prices.
2012 has seen the lowest year-on-year increase in the price of fuel since the beginning of the financial crisis, with prices rising by just 3p per litre. By contrast, the price of a litre of petrol rose by 17p per litre between 2009 and 2010, and by 16p per litre between 2010 and 2011.
AA president Edmund King criticised the fuel industry for the persistently high prices, saying: "The Chancellor spared drivers, families and businesses a £2-a-tank hike in fuel duty with VAT on 5 December.
"However, for the most part, the fuel industry has not shown the same generous spirit.
"The AA hopes that the Office of Fair Trading, in its January report, understands what is going on and starts moving towards suggesting a solution."
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