Diesel and E5/E10 prices currently very high

Since the second half of July the average prices charged for diesel and E5/E10 have continuously increased. When comparing prices as at 1 July and 14 August, prices increased as follows (average prices in euros per litre):

• E5: from 1.85 to 1.92
• E10: from 1.79 to 1.86
• Diesel: from 1.61 to 1.78

Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt: “Net of tax, the current price increases for E5 and E10 are largely in line with the crude oil price development. We have seen crude oil prices increase by almost 14 per cent, partly due to supply cuts by producing countries. Regarding diesel, the difference between crude oil prices and petrol station prices has increased in the past few weeks.”

When comparing prices as at 1 July and 14 August, the difference between average fuel prices (excluding taxes) and crude oil prices for E5 and E10 remained largely unchanged. For diesel, this difference increased considerably between the two dates. When deducting crude oil prices from the average fuel prices (excluding taxes), prices developed as follows:

• E5: from 0.46 to 0.46
• E10: from 0.42 to 0.41
• Diesel: from 0.44 to 0.52

Andreas Mundt: “It seems that petrol stations are not responsible for the diesel price increases. Following the embargo on Russia, Germany has begun to establish new supply routes to import diesel, but it is competing with other buyers worldwide. This may result in considerable price fluctuations: supply will be increased for buyers prepared to pay higher prices. In addition, German refineries are currently experiencing technical issues and capacity bottlenecks. The current price increases can thus already be seen at the refinery and import levels. However, this means that the increased difference between diesel and crude oil prices is not likely to benefit petrol stations as they also have higher procurement costs.
Of course, this fact alone does little to ease the financial burden on motorists. I can only repeat our recommendations: Use the apps that provide the price data collected by the Bundeskartellamt’s Market Transparency Unit. Compare petrol stations. Reward those petrol stations that are still offering relatively low prices in the current situation.”

The Bundeskartellamt’s Market Transparency Unit for Fuels monitors all of the approximately 14,500 petrol stations in Germany. The price data collected are provided to consumer information services in real time. Consumers, in turn, can access these data via the services’ websites and apps. To provide the greatest transparency possible, the Bundeskartellamt informs the public about the current fuel market situation on a regular basis, most recently in our newsletter of 10 August 2023 (link, German only). What was striking in July was the strongly increasing difference between refinery/wholesale prices excluding taxes and crude oil prices for diesel.

Andreas Mundt: “There is no legal basis in competition law that allows us to simply prohibit high prices or high profits, neither in the fuel sector nor in any other sector. The same is also true in other countries. Even after the upcoming competition law reform the Bundeskartellamt will not be able to lower fuel prices at the push of a button. Just like today, we will be bound by strict requirements for market intervention unless we are able to prove price-fixing agreements. The current price increases particularly for diesel show once again that we must continue to look at the refinery and wholesale levels. Due to the irregularities observed we are pushing ahead with a sector inquiry focusing on these areas. If we find indications of illegal practices, we will vigorously pursue these cases.”