Diesel near 2.23 euros: German fuel prices stay high despite tax cut
Germany has cut energy tax on petrol and diesel by 14 cents a litre since Oct. 1, but prices remain high. Automobile club ADAC says the relief has not been fully passed on.
Archive image · Photo: Roy Zuo / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Diesel cost an average of about 2.228 euros a litre across Germany on the evening of Oct. 19, while E10 petrol cost about 2.091 euros, according to the portal kraftstoffbilliger.de, which uses prices reported to the Federal Cartel Office. In September the monthly average was 2.386 euros for diesel and 2.266 euros for E10, according to automobile club ADAC.
From Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2026, the energy tax on petrol and diesel has been cut by 14 cents a litre; including lower VAT, the government puts the relief at about 17 cents. The measure costs about 2.5 billion euros. ADAC said on Oct. 7 that the cut had not been fully passed on for E10. Cartel Office President Andreas Mundt said the authority could act on signs of violations, but that geopolitically driven price rises could not be directly prevented under competition law.
The main driver remains the Iran war and the risk to tankers in the Strait of Hormuz; Brent crude traded at about 110 dollars a barrel on Oct. 19. Since April, German filling stations may raise prices only once a day, at noon. According to ADAC analyses, filling up shortly before noon is often cheapest.
This article is for information only and is not legal, tax, financial or medical advice. Figures as of the date stated.