While the rising cost of fuel is having a dramatic impact on UK fleets, the increases in diesel and petrol costs have been much worse in all other EU countries.

Between January 2005 and April this year, the UK saw petrol prices rise by 36% and diesel by 39% - well below the EU average of 51% for petrol and 62% for diesel.

This made the UK the most expensive place in the EU to fill up with diesel and the ninth most expensive for petrol.

However, when the rate of price increases is compared with other EU countries, the UK experienced the lowest rise in the costs of both fuels.

While fleets here have been struggling with a 39% increase in diesel prices, Estonia saw diesel prices there rocket by a massive 86% over the same period – from 49p to 91p per litre.

Luxembourg, Greece, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Lithuania all experienced a rise in diesel prices above 70%.

Every country except the UK and Hungary have also seen petrol prices rise by over 40%.