Diesel – from the cheapest to the most expensive fuel: War is partly to blame
Created: 09/12/2022, 02:00 p.m
By: Simon Mones
In fact, diesel was always the cheapest.
But it is now the most expensive fuel at German petrol stations.
But why is it like that?
Despite fluctuating fuel prices, one thing has always been clear for many years: diesel costs less than petrol.
But that is exactly what has changed in 2022.
Suddenly the world at the pumps is upside down.
But how could it happen that diesel is suddenly no longer the cheapest fuel?
One reason was the tank discount, which recently caused the price difference between the two fuels to be particularly high.
While the tax cut reduced petrol by around 35 cents, it was just 17 cents for diesel that motorists saved.
The fuel had previously been cheaper than Super E10 for a few weeks in May.
Diesel now costs significantly more than Super.
(Iconic image) © Christoph Hardt/Imago
Diesel – from the cheapest to the most expensive fuel: War is partly to blame
But even after the tank discount was abolished, diesel remained more loyal than petrol.
The price difference is even significantly higher than before the tax cut, the ADAC recently emphasized.
In principle, the fluctuating oil price also has an effect, but this affects both fuels equally.
“On the other hand, it can be assumed that the industry is currently buying more heating oil, which is very similar to diesel, in order to be able to react to potential gas failures in autumn and winter.
This then also leads to an increase in the price of diesel," said an ADAC spokesman for the
Stuttgarter Zeitung
.
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Diesel – from cheap to most expensive fuel: shortage due to oil embargo against Russia
However, it is not only the industry that is currently buying heating oil, private buyers have also changed their purchasing behavior.
“Households normally stock up on their fuel oil supplies in the fall.
This year, however, they have been doing this since spring - for fear of further price increases due to the Ukraine crisis.
This supports the price of diesel and makes it more expensive than Super E10,” emphasizes Steffen Bock, founder and managing director of Clever Tanken, an app that drivers can use to compare fuel prices.
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But the war in Ukraine is also having an impact on fuel prices in Germany.
This is what the Fuels and Energy trade association (en2x) said when asked by the
Stuttgarter Zeitung
that many companies would switch to diesel and heating oil because of the impending shortage of natural gas.
Unlike petrol, imports are needed here to meet demand.
Imports also come from Russia, but Germany and numerous other countries have to stop these by the beginning of 2023 because of the oil embargo decided by the EU.
"This means: There is a shortage of diesel on the European mineral oil product markets," emphasizes a spokesman for the association.
This is also intensified by the low water level of the Rhine, since the ships cannot be fully loaded.
As a result, the strong demand also drives up the price of fuel, which customers ultimately have to pay at the pump.