Average diesel prices in Germany rose just above €2 per liter on Wednesday morning — over $7.50 per US gallon — the ADAC motoring club said. The cheapest grade of petrol averaged just under €2 per liter.
Prices climbed sharply this week amid market turbulence following weekend strikes on Iran and subsequent fighting in the Middle East. Oil production has been disrupted in several countries and shipments through the Strait of Hormuz — the route for roughly 20% of global oil exports — are precarious or blocked.
German forecourts typically charge more in the mornings to catch commuters, but since Monday prices have risen steadily as the scale of supply disruptions became clearer and Europe resumed business after the weekend. Compared with about a month ago, diesel is nearly 20% more expensive and petrol over 15% higher.
Wednesday’s levels remain slightly below the monthly average seen in March 2022, when prices spiked after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but current prices are less than €0.15 per liter shy of that earlier peak. ADAC warned drivers to expect queues as motorists rush to fill up. Herbert Rabl, a spokesman for the filling station federation, reported heavy demand at pumps since Sunday.
France said it would impose price controls at filling stations if necessary to keep increases “reasonable.” Economy Minister Roland Lescure told Franceinfo that the government saw an increase of a few cents that it considered normal given higher base oil costs and that widespread intervention was not immediately required. He said more than 97% of the country was not affected, urged consumers not to panic-buy, and added that controls would be used if retail rises outpaced per-barrel cost increases.
Global oil prices have jumped since Saturday: Brent crude rose from roughly $70 per barrel at the end of last week to about $80 per barrel on Wednesday.
Across Europe motorists in the UK, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain have also been queuing to fill up amid similar price rises. In parts of Asia that rely heavily on Middle Eastern oil or are major customers of Iran, the reaction has been more urgent. Myanmar, which imported around 90% of its fuel oil in 2024 and already faces internal supply stresses, saw long lines at pumps. Its military junta ordered half of private vehicles off the roads each day on an odd-even basis by license plate number, saying the country had about 40 days’ worth of stockpiles and needed to manage supplies.
In the United States, where gasoline is typically cheaper because of domestic production and lower taxes, prices rose more than 5% in recent days. A gallon of regular gasoline averaged $3.19, up from $2.98 a week earlier, according to the American Automobile Association.