Diesel fuel is again cheaper than petrol on average across Germany. We explain how the unusual fluctuation came about.
We no longer need to dwell on the prices at the nation's gas pumps. After all, we've all looked at the price display with a rather painful look, which is currently climbing twice as fast as the liters on tap. In the meantime, at least one parameter seems to have corrected itself. After diesel was more expensive than premium petrol for a long time, the ADAC reports after its most recent price evaluation that this situation has reversed itself into the usual opposite. In this article we explain how this fluctuation came about.,
After the corona pandemic turned a large number of Germans into "hamsters" and emptied the toilet paper and pasta shelves in the supermarkets, the war in The Ukraine had a similar effect – only consumers hoarded diesel. To be precise: fuel oil. Many customers quickly had their tanks filled shortly after the Russian invasion, so as not to freeze because of an empty tank in the event of a possible delivery stop from Russia or an EU embargo next winter. As a result, the demand for heating oil rose sharply, and diesel production is also linked to heating oil.
War and the economy
In general, the diesel price is more susceptible to supposedly external factors. If industry and business pick up, as after the gradual lifting of the corona restrictions, there will be an increased need for diesel in the manufacturing industry and in logistics. It is precisely this rising demand that is also driving up the price at the petrol pump for cars. The coincidence of strong economic activity and war ultimately meant that diesel had climbed to a price level above E10 at the filling stations, despite lower taxation (tax advantage per liter of diesel 18 cents compared to premium petrol). In addition, more diesel is imported directly from Russia than petrol.,
The sun is now shining - not metaphorically, but quite real. Due to the summer temperatures, there is no heating and since most of the oil tanks are now full, demand has dropped noticeably. The reversal in the price relationship between diesel and petrol can also be attributed to another less than pleasant detail. Gasoline itself has simply become more expensive again. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), citing figures from the ADAC, reports that a liter of Super E10 currently costs an average of 2.090 euros. An increase of 5.4 cents within a week. Diesel, on the other hand, fell by 2.1 cents to 2.028 euros per liter in the same period on average in Germany (as of May 30, 2022). You can learn more about the basic factors of fuel pricing in our slideshow at the top of the article.,
Conclusion
Gasoline again costs more at the pumps than diesel fuel. In recent weeks, this usual ratio had been reversed due to several coincident effects. Among other things, increased demand for heating oil had driven up the diesel price, while at the same time the economy had a greater need for diesel again - for example for logistics - due to the lifting of corona restrictions.
Now, if these effects subside and the price of super petrol goes up at the same time, E10 and E5 will cost more than diesel again.
