Good news for motorists’ wallets, perhaps less for the planet. Fuel prices at the pump have seen an almost continuous decline since April, according to figures released on Friday and published on Monday by the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
At service stations, 95 unleaded petrol was priced at 1.84 euros per liter on average last week, a drop of 3 cents compared to the previous week. The super unleaded 95-E10 sold for 1.80 euros, a drop of 7 cents. Diesel rose by 9 cents to 1.68 euros per liter, after several weeks of decline.
A drop linked to the change in the price of a barrel
Average diesel prices in June are down 5.46% since April, a similar drop for 95 unleaded gasoline and 95-E10 (around -5%). The downward trend since April “follows the evolution of the barrel of oil”, underlined Francis Pousse, president of the professional union Mobilians (independent service stations).
In mid-April, the barrel of crude oil reached a peak of $92, the highest level since October, amid fears of a possible spread of the conflict between Israel and Hamas to neighboring countries.
Since then, the barrel of crude has returned to “usual levels, between 80 and 90 dollars” in recent weeks, despite recent decisions by the OPEC cartel to maintain production cuts in force to support prices.
Prices much lower than in 2022
Generally speaking, current average fuel prices are far from the peaks of 2022 when, following the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, they exceeded the symbolic bar of 2 euros, pushing the State to set up a pump discount.
But although prices have since fallen significantly, they have not yet returned to their level before the energy crisis, because “distribution costs have increased against a backdrop of inflation” since 2021, explains Olivier Gantois, president of the energy crisis. ‘Ufip Energies et Mobilités, the oil industry union.