Petrol prices in biggest drop since 2008, says AA

It now costs £2.74 less to fill up a small petrol car than it did last month

Petrol prices have dropped (EPA)

Petrol prices have seen their biggest drop in five years, marking a "dramatic improvement", according to the AA.

Average prices dropped 5.49p per litre in the month to mid-October, to 132.16p a litre. The price of diesel has fallen from 142.50p a litre to 139.12p.

The drivers' lobbying group did however warn further falls were unlikely.

The biggest recent fall came in November 2008, when prices fell 11.5p. According to the AA, it now costs £2.74 less to fill up a small petrol car, and £3.84 less for a larger model, than last month.

The AA says the UK has the seventh-highest petrol price and the second-highest diesel price in Europe.

Edmund King, the AA's president, said: "A more than £2.50-a-tank cut in petrol costs for families is a dramatic improvement on its own. But, heading into winter with cars using more fuel, the timing couldn't be better."