The Money Statistics - February 2026

Welcome to the February 2026 edition of The Money Statistics,

The Money Charity’s complete monthly round-up of statistics about how we use money in the UK, kindly funded by Vanquis.

The striking numbers include:

• The CPI (Consumer Prices Index) increased by 3.0% in the year to January 2026, down from 3.4% for the year to December 2025. This represents the lowest annual inflation rate since March 2025.

• Core inflation – CPI excluding energy, food, alcoholic beverages and tobacco – rose by 3.1% in the year to January 2026, the least since 2021. This was also down modestly from 3.2% in December 2025.

• In January 2026, food and non-alcoholic beverages inflation dropped to its lowest since April 2025. Food and non-alcoholic beverages prices rose by 3.6% in the year to January 2026, down from 4.5% in the year to December 2025.

• The ONS reports that prices in the transport division rose overall by 2.7% in the 12 months to January 2026, down from 4.0% in the 12 months to December 2025.

• During January 2026, the price of petrol has dropped to its lowest point since the summer of 2021, according to the RAC. The average price of unleaded petrol decreased by 3.46 ppl to 131.91 ppl. The average price of diesel also decreased by 3.30 ppl to 140.97 ppl.

• From April 2026, average household energy bills are forecast to fall by approximately £117 a year for typical dual‑fuel households following the Autumn Budget, with the price cap expected to fall to around £1,641 from £1,758.

Let The Money Statistics Team know any feedback or thoughts you have.

Previous editions can be found in the archive on our website.