'Breaking the cycle'

German government: petrol stations to raise fuel price only once a day

De Duitse regering wil kijken wat het kan doen tegen de prijzen aan de pomp die razendsnel stijgen, maar heel langzaam dalen. Foto: Shutterstock, 2026

The German government wants to introduce new rules for petrol stations. These would be allowed to increase fuel prices at the pump only once a day. Price cuts, on the other hand, would be allowed at any time. With this, Germany wants to follow the model from Austria, where this has already been introduced.

The German government wants to introduce the measure, which allows petrol stations to raise their prices at the pump only once a day, as soon as possible. Reason are the skyrocketing fuel prices in the country due to the war with Iran. Katherina Reiche, CDU economics minister in Berlin, noted “extremely fast rising fuel prices when the crude oil price rises.” However, when the price falls, those at the pump fall only slowly. “We want to break this cycle,” he said. This requires an amendment to the competition law.

In addition, the government is investigating whether controls by the Federal Cartel Office (BKA) are possible in the fuel sector. These should start keeping a close eye on costs and prices.

The German government now plans to use the Austrian model as a blueprint. In that country, prices may be raised only once a day, at noon, but they can be lowered at any time. A regulation in force since 2011 was recently extended until the end of 2028. On the one hand, this is intended to help motorists find the cheapest petrol station. But it is also expected to have a price-cutting effect, Reiche said.

Twelve-day rise

Since the start of the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, prices for petrol and especially diesel have risen sharply in Germany, as in the Netherlands. This happened 12 days in a row. Politicians from different parties criticised the price hikes, claiming that motorists are being “ripped off” and that prices are being raised far too early.

Service station trade associations also criticised the oil companies. Individual petrol station owners have no influence on prices at the pump. These are set by the big companies, but motorists’ frustration then spills over to petrol station owners and their staff.

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This article was automatically translated from the Dutch language original to English (British).

Author: Paul Blonk

Source: MobilityEnergy.com

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