Fuel prices: According to the Cartel Office, petrol and diesel are the most expensive in Bavaria

Created: 09/09/2022 15:57

By: Sebastian Oppenheimer

The Bundeskartellamt has examined fuel prices in Germany and found an extreme north-south divide.

Whether in the supermarket, at the folk festival or in the restaurant: prices are currently increasing everywhere - sometimes quite sharply.

However, motorists are currently feeling the increase at filling stations particularly clearly.

The so-called tank discount brought temporary relief.

When it expired, however, prices immediately shot up again.

The Federal Cartel Office has now analyzed the fuel prices - and found, among other things, huge regional differences.

The Federal Cartel Office has identified an extreme north-south divide in fuel prices.

(Iconic image) © IMAGO/Andreas Friedrichs

Fuel prices: According to the Cartel Office, petrol and diesel are the most expensive in Bavaria

As the authority announced, there is a difference of up to 27 cents in the price of premium petrol (E5) between the most expensive and cheapest regions.

The diesel is up to 24 cents.

In its investigation, the cartel office found an extreme north-south divide.

Drivers in Bavaria have to dig deep into their pockets, especially in the south of the state.

In contrast, fuel was comparatively cheap in parts of Berlin, Stuttgart and Bremen.

According to the survey, the price fluctuations within a day are also huge: in the same city or region, the cartel office recorded differences of more than 20 cents per liter.

At one and the same gas station, there were fluctuations of up to 13 cents per liter - although refueling in the evening is cheaper.

Fuel prices: Cartel Office wants to investigate development - first results in autumn

Cartel Office President Andreas Mundt also took a stance on the overall very high fuel prices after the end of the tax rebate: “The industry mainly blames shortages and cost increases,” said Mundt.

In his opinion, there are “certain circumstances” such as the reduction in refinery capacity during the pandemic, the loss of imports from Russia, refinery failures, transport problems due to low water and the renewed increase in demand that have to be taken into account.

"In our investigation of the refinery and wholesale level, we are investigating whether the price development and the still large gap to crude oil prices can be sufficiently explained by this." The first results are to be presented in autumn.

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Mundt was rather reluctant to comment on studies which, based on comparisons with French fuel prices, had recently shown that the tax reduction had been passed on to a considerable extent.

"Such a country comparison provides helpful information, but cannot conclusively assess the different competitive situations in the two countries," he said.

His authority also makes its own calculations, explained the Cartel Office President.