Petrol stations across Spain have an unwelcome Easter surprise for motorists as fuel reached record prices at the pumps yesterday. Unleaded is now at an all-time high of 1.54€ per litre.

The cost of filling an average 50 litre tank is now 77€, nine euros more than last Easter (when petrol had reached a previous all-time high of 1.363€ per litre and it cost an average of 68.1€ to fill your tank) and this on the day when more car journeys were expected to be made than any other day in the year.

At some petrol stations in Madrid high octane unleaded (Super 98) can cost up to 1.681€ per litre and diesel fuel is is being sold at a maximum of 1.41€ per litre, 10 cents up on last year.

In Barcelona, Super 95 is being sold at 1.58 per litre, while diesel is at maximum of 1.43€.

The choice of petrol station can, however, greatly reduce fuel expenditure. In Madrid alone, the price for Super 95 ranges from 1.407€ per litre to 1.543€, making a seven-euro difference when filling a 50 litre tank. In the case of diesel, the difference in cost to fill up is 3.55€ between the cheapest petrol station in the capital and the most expensive.