Fuel sales volumes surged by 6.1% last month as motorists filled up their tanks while the conflict in the Middle East triggered the biggest jump in fuel prices for more than three years.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that the volume of retail sales rose by 0.7% last month, well above analysts' forecasts of just 0.1%, as the quantity of fuel bought hit the highest level since 2021.
Excluding the impact of fuel buying, total retail sales rose at 0.2% month-on-month, bouncing back from a 0.6% fall in February.
Sunnier weather in March helped retailers, with textile, clothing and footwear stores reporting a 1.2% month-on-month sales increase, while department stores recorded a 1.1% sales rise.
However, supermarkets and food stores reported a 0.8% fall in the volume of sales amid rising costs.
The ongoing impact of the war on the economy is taking its toll on consumer confidence, with data provider GfK's consumer confidence barometer falling by four points to -25 in April, the biggest drop in a year.
Looking ahead to the rest of 2026, there are already signs that consumer confidence is taking a hit, with consumers likely to rein back their discretionary spending amid rising costs for groceries, petrol and utility bills.