Irish pump prices, 2013A year of near-standstill at the pumps.

Petrol in 2013 averaged €1.588; diesel, €1.514. Those are means of 50 Monday prices from the European Commission's bulletin. From the first Monday to the last, petrol finished 4.8 cent lower. Against 2012, the yearly petrol average moved −2.8 cent and the diesel average −3.8 cent.

The year's dearest petrol was €1.618 on 15 Apr and the cheapest €1.559 on 25 Nov, a spread of 5.9 cent. The gap between the fuels, on yearly averages, left diesel 7.4 cent a litre cheaper than petrol. Roughly 90.5 cent of each petrol litre in 2013 was tax, an average share of 57.0%. Marked gas oil averaged €1.071 a litre in 2013, between a low of €1.014 and a high of €1.131.

Grouping the Mondays by month, petrol was dearest in January at an average of €1.607 and cheapest in December at €1.559.

In weekly terms the year held 4 increases and 7 decreases for petrol, plus 39 standstills.

With the Union as a whole averaging €1.564 for petrol in 2013, Ireland came out 2.4 cent higher.

With Revenue's rates unchanged at €587.71 and €479.02 per 1,000 litres, the price movements of 2013 reflect the market rather than the Exchequer.

CSO collectors found petrol at €1.581 in January; by December the monthly average was €1.535.

For context either side, see what a litre cost in 2012 or fuel prices in 2014.

All years side by side: the weekly archive since 2005.