British motorists' perennial complaints about petrol prices appear to be justified by research which puts the UK among the top three most expensive countries in the world for fuel.



Drivers pay on average 135p a litre for petrol in the UK, but that's considerably less than the price paid by drivers in Norway's capital Oslo: at 164p a litre it has the most expensive petrol in the world.

Which begs the question, where are the lowest petrol prices?

Car insurance firm Staveley Head, in collaboration with This is Money, reveals the top 10 cheapest places worldwide to fill up.



Worldwide petrol: Where is the cheapest place to fill-up a motor in the world?

10. Algeria – Algiers

The vast north African state gets 60 per cent of its income from oil production. It is the world’s 13th biggest oil producer and 9th biggest exporter.

Despite the cheap petrol prices, with the average price for a litre coming in at 20p, Algeria has suffered from shortages in recent months as smugglers have been sending petrol to crisis-torn Libya.



9. Oman – Muscat

The Arabic state of Oman in south-west Asia produces 600,000 barrels every day, so the government gives its citizens a break when it comes to petrol prices.

The average for a litre of petrol comes in at 20p.

8. Egypt – Cairo

The north African country, which has undergone political and social upheaval in recent months, has an uncertain future.

But Cairo comes in as the 8th cheapest city in the world for petrol at 19p per litre. For how much longer remains unclear.



7. Qatar – Doha

The Middle Eastern country has the world's largest per capita production and proven reserves of both oil and natural gas, which means the average price per litre is 15p.

Citizens are estimated to have the 2nd highest incomes in the world and the 7th lowest petrol prices.

6. Kuwait – Kuwait City

The country has the world’s fifth largest oil reserves and this means that the average price for a litre of petrol is 14p.

The government subsidises petrol and public transport.

5. Bahrain – Manama

The average price for a litre of petrol in the small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf is 13p.

The country’s recent boom is built on oil, with 60 per cent of its government’s wealth coming from oil production.

4. Turkmenistan – Ashgabat

UK motorists may want to look away at this fact: car drivers in Turkmenistan are entitled to 120 litres of petrol free per month, so the price is not all that relevant.

The average price for a litre in the Central Asian country is 12p.

You can see a larger version of this infographic via Staveley Head

3. Libya – Tripoli

As the battle for democracy rages in Tripoli and across Libya, with Colonel Gaddafi close to being ousted, petrol prices remain the third cheapest place in the world.

Libya is the 9th biggest producer of petrol in the world and the average litre in the North African country is 9p.

2. Saudi Arabia – Riyadh

Saudi Arabia is estimated to account for 20-25 per cent of the world’s oil reserves, and ranks as the highest exporter of petrol, so it is no wonder that it is the second cheapest place in the world, with the average litre costing 8p.

It plays a leading role in Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and the petroleum sector is estimated to contribute to roughly 45 per cent of budget revenues, 55 per cent of GDP, and 90 per cent of export earnings.

1. Venezuela – Caracas

The average price for a litre of petrol in Venezuela is around the 2-3p mark, with President Hugo Chavez controlling prices in the South American country.

This is because Venezuelans consider cheap fuel as a sort of birthright – a fact backed up by a previous government's attempt to raise prices in the late 1980s triggering riots that left hundreds dead.