As oil firms Shell and BP announce ‘better-than-expected' first-quarter profits, the price of filling up at the pump has soared by up to 39% since the crippling fuel protests of September 2000.
Yet continuing advances in vehicle design means that some motorists have actually been able to reduce their costs.
Research by Citroën shows that drivers could be paying up to 27% less per mile for fuel, in real terms, than they were eight years ago - despite the cost of unleaded petrol passing the unprecedented £5-a-gallon mark across many parts of the UK.
Today, with unleaded petrol at 108.1 pence per litre, it costs just 7.99 pence per mile to fuel a Citroën C1 1.0i city car, whilst back in September 2000 a similar model (Citroën Saxo 1.1i) would have cost an inflation-adjusted 10.94 pence per mile in fuel.
And potential savings are not just limited to smaller cars. Citroën's C4 1.6HDi family hatchback boasts 62.8 mpg overall and costs 8.49 pence per mile to run.
During the September 2000 fuel protests, its predecessor - the Xsara - would have cost 11.12 pence after inflationary adjustments.
"Whilst improved fuel efficiency and advances in vehicle design have reduced the cost of filling up, in real terms," explains Marc Raven, spokesman for Citroën, "the economic benefits of improved efficiency could soon be cancelled out altogether if prices continue to rise at their current rate. Although our commitment to reducing CO2 and harmful emissions will not be lessened."