How much more expensive are service station snacks compared to the supermarket?

It’s no secret that filling up with petrol and diesel at a motorway service station will cost significantly more than at a supermarket forecourt, but drivers and passengers are also being significantly stung when refuelling their stomachs, says a new report.

Mystery shoppers have been scouring motorway service station aisles up and down the country to check the price of popular snacks, from cheese sandwiches to sausage rolls, chocolate bars, bottles of pop and sweets.

It found that a motorway station shopping basket consisting of eight common items will cost more than double than it would for the same products in a Tesco store as motorists are hit with a sizable ‘services snack tax’.

The comparison in snack costs has been conducted by Admiral Car Insurance as part of an ongoing review of pricing at motorway services.

The insurer previously investigated the premiums for snack items at motorway services in 2017 and 2019 and has been at it again in 2022, checking the price tags of the same eight good it has done previously.

It found that the combined price of the eight items at motorways services has risen by 13 per cent in the last three years – and by more than a fifth (21 per cent) compared to five years ago.

With food prices generally on the rise, it’s no surprise that motorway service stations have been hiking their charges for snacks that are popular on the go.

However, the cost difference for the haul of items when compared to a supermarket receipt is staggering. 

Included in the review of pricing were the following products: a cheese sandwich; 500ml bottle of water; 500ml bottle of Coke; large 130g sausage roll; 45g packet of Walkers Ready Salted Crisps; 45g bar of Cadburys Dairy Milk chocolate; 190g packet of Wine Gums; regular latte coffee with cow’s milk with no syrup. 

Where the eight selected items currently cost £11.99 if bought at a Tesco supermarket in Launceston, Cornwall, drivers and their passengers are charged £18.82 on average for the same goods.

That £6.67 hike translates to a 57 per cent premium at UK motorway services.

And the rip-off cost of snacks at service stations is even more evident when comparing items individually.

For instance, a standard packet of crisps costs drivers and passengers almost £1.50 at a service station, while a Tesco supermarket sells them for half as much, at 75p. 

Motorists wanting a sugar boost from a standard-size Dairy Milk will have to hand over an average of £1.26 at a motorway services, while the same bar of chocolate in Tesco is just 60p – a 110 per cent price mark up. 

Bottles of water are also 53 per cent more expensive than at supermarkets, which is made all the more surprising given the availability of free water refills at all 21 service stations reviewed by Admiral.

The biggest gulf in costs recorded across the entire study was for a large sausage roll.

While Tesco charges £1.60,  Hilton Park Services in the West Midlands is charging £4.95 for the same-size savoury snack.

Of all the eight items put to review, only one was founded to be cheaper on average at motorway services than at supermarkets.

A latte coffee costs £3.26 on average across all the motorway services reviewed, while it is £3.35 at a Tesco supermarket, the insurer says.

In fact, 15 of the 21 service stations charged less for a caffeine hit than the major supermarket, the review found.

Admiral’s mystery shopper investigation also discovered that some motorway stations are significantly pricier than others, with the top 10 most expensive charging more than a 50 per cent premium than Tesco for the eight snacks reviewed.

Hilton Park Services on the M6 in the West Midlands ranked as the most extortionate of all for the eight items, the investigation found.

The services, which is operated by Moto, cost nearly twice as much for the shopping basket of goods than a supermarket, ringing in at £10.66 – that’s 89 per cent more than the items cost at Tesco. 

Even the ‘cheapest’ motorway location in the study, the BP Express Heart of Scotland services on the M8 westbound, will set shoppers back by £2.06 more than a major supermarket.

Regionally, motorists and passengers stopping at service stations in the North East face the steepest snack tax, with a mark-up of £8.52 on the basket of goods.

This is Money has contacted Moto for a response to the Admiral Insurance investigation. 

Commenting on the study’s findings, Clare Egan, head of motor insurance at the provider, said: ‘It really does pay for motorists and passengers to prepare in advance of their journey.

‘Whilst there will be some justification in higher prices than supermarkets due to location and delivery costs in the supply chain, for motorway service stations to add an additional 56 per cent on average onto the price is significant.

‘Drivers passing through the North East – home to the most expensive services – could be made to fork out an extra £8.51 per trip on snacks. Just as drivers plan a route and accommodation before embarking on a trip, we would suggest them to take the same diligence on snacks and fuel top-ups, to avoid being stung with snack tax.’

While most motorists will be aware that filling up with fuel at a service station will be far more expensive than it would at a supermarket forecourt, Admiral’s review also confirmed how much the price difference could be if you’re caught short on a motorway. 

On average it found that motorway services – at the time of conducting the analysis – were charging £1.93-a-litre for petrol. That’s 54p-a-litre (14 per cent) more than the cost of unleaded at the Tesco supermarket used for the study.

Diesel was £1.99 on average at the services, which is a 60p per litre (7.5 per cent) premium compared to a supermarket forecourt.

However, Admiral says the analysis was carried out between 5 and 11 August, which means there could have been a slight change in pricing over the course of the seven days, with UK average fuel prices declining over recent weeks.