fines may be imposed

Independent petrol stations in Germany want to be rid of the ‘12-hour rule’ imposed in April

Het overgrote deel van de onafhankelijke tankstations in Duitsland wil dat de in april ingestelde '12-uur-regeling' wordt afgeschaft. Foto: Aral, 2026

Since April this year, petrol stations in Germany have only been allowed to increase their fuel prices at the pump once a day, but are permitted to reduce them at any time. Independent petrol stations are now calling for the abolition of this ‘12-hour rule’. A survey by the trade association BFT shows that over two-thirds of respondents want the rule scrapped.

A further nearly one-seventh of respondents want a fundamental review, according to the organisation. A total of 132 companies, which together operate more than 850 petrol stations, took part in the survey. This corresponds to around a quarter of the organisation’s members. To keep fuel prices under control, the German federal government restricts the way in which petrol stations set their prices. This is much to the displeasure of part of the sector. The measure has led to periods of low demand, and technical problems are also resulting in unnecessary fines.

Filling up before 12 noon

“Customers very quickly realised what the scheme entails: filling up before 12 noon, or waiting until after that time,” says BFT chairman Carsten Müller, commenting on the consequences. Over the past few days, price rises of 20 cents per litre have been observed around midday, averaged across the various fuel types. In the following 24 hours, prices fell by almost the same amount. “The legislator is thereby creating artificial peaks and troughs rather than promoting competition.” The ADAC has also criticised the scheme. The consumer organisation believes it drives up prices. “It has been observed that the limited scope for raising prices leads oil companies to factor risk premiums into their pricing.”

Compliance

Various economists have voiced similar concerns. In early August, CSU leader Markus Söder also told ARD: “We urgently need to reassess whether this ‘midday rule’ actually works. I have the impression that it is not very effective and has little impact.” Many petrol station owners have also reported problems with compliance: “Only 45.5 per cent of respondents are able to implement price increases at all their stations in a fully automated manner and precisely at 12 noon,” says Daniel Kaddik, director of the trade association BFT. “At the same time, nearly two-thirds report timing discrepancies between the systems involved.”

Around one in eight companies that took part in the survey has already been contacted by the authorities regarding discrepancies. The state of Schleswig-Holstein reported more than 21,000 potential breaches in early August, whilst 6,600 discrepancies were identified in Berlin during April and May.

Fines

In April, the federal government introduced the ‘12-hour rule’ to bring petrol and diesel prices – which had risen sharply following the outbreak of the conflict with Iran – under control. Since then, prices may only be increased once a day, at exactly 12 noon. Breaches can result in fines of up to 100,000 euros.

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This article was automatically translated from the original Dutch text into British English.

Author: Paul Blonk

Source: Mobility Energy

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