French government says diesel prices will drop from November 1

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has promised that diesel prices in France should begin to fall starting from November 1, following a government plan to release fuel from the country’s strategic reserves.

"We are going to use our strategic reserves to lower your diesel bill," the prime minister said on Monday.  

Mr Lecornu made the comments following a meeting with fuel distributors. Following the same meeting, TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné pledged to cut diesel prices at its stations across France by eight to 12 cents per litre

“The Prime Minister gave a range of 12 to 18 cents per litre. For us, it will be more like 8 to 12 cents, so around 10 cents,” he told French media.

He also said the company’s diesel prices were already around 15 to 20 cents per litre lower than those at some other stations.

TotalEnergies has capped petrol prices at €1.99 per litre and diesel at €2.25 per litre since July 22.

Mr Pouyanné estimated that, if the benefit from the government’s plan were already in effect, the company’s diesel price cap would be lower.

“If the benefit we are being given existed today, the price at our stations would be around €2.15 or €2.20,” he said.

He added that, for now, the company would maintain its existing diesel price cap of €2.25 per litre as a safeguard in case the energy crisis continued beyond the government’s planned three-month measure.

TotalEnergies has also pledged to reduce the price of non-road diesel, known in France as gazole non routier (GNR), by 20 cents per litre. The fuel is used by farmers, fishing businesses and construction companies.

The company has also announced a €200-per-cubic-metre discount on domestic heating oil (fioul domestique) for households that use it for heating.

It said the reductions would apply from November 1 to January 31, 2027, during the government’s three-month release of strategic diesel stocks.

While TotalEnergies is the only service station group to offer specific details of its prices cuts in response to the fuel release, the Mobilians network, which represents independent service stations excluding supermarkets, has also committed to passing on the reduction.

The head of the Leclerc group Michel-Edouard Leclerc made a similar commitment. "If we buy for less, we will sell to the nearest euro, to the nearest cent, we will sell for less," said Mr Leclerc.

What the government promised

TotalEnergies’ announcement follows Mr Lecornu’s promise on October 7 to make 10 million barrels of diesel from France’s strategic reserves available to fuel distributors.

“The diesel concerned was bought before the rise in prices,” he said. “It will be made available at the cost price of these stocks, which will mechanically bring down prices at the pump by an estimated 12 to 18 cents per litre.”

The government said the measure would benefit people buying diesel and would run for three months, from November to January.

According to the government, extra support will be offered to service stations in remote rural areas who will receive access to "cash advances" and "a specialized fund."

At the same time, the government intends to ensure the price reductions are passed on at the pump by publishing the volumes released weekly to distributors alongside the resulting cost reductions. 

"Each step will be traceable ," said Mr Lecornu, with diesel price reductions appearing on invoices "at every stage of the supply chain" and "displayed at service stations." 

The government also promised to monitor distributors' prices and margins, adding that it would regulate them "by decree," if necessary. 

The prime minister also acknowledged the pressure fuel costs place on people who rely on their cars to get to work, especially those who live far from their workplace or lack access to public transport.

1.6 million to get €100 fuel payment this week 

At the same time, around 1.6 million drivers in France will receive a €100 fuel payment this Friday, October 16, as part of the extension of the government's financial assistance scheme for workers who rely heavily on their cars. 

The payment will be made automatically to people who already received the earlier fuel allowance and covers the period from October to December 2026. 

It follows an earlier €100 allowance paid out to eligible drivers covering April to September. 

Motorists who are eligible and who did not apply for the earlier round of funding can apply from October 22. 

You can check your eligibility using the simulator on the French tax authority's website, impots.gouv.fr. 

Successful applicants can expect payments within ten days of submitting a claim. 

The government also raised the income threshold for eligibility for the second round of the scheme, meaning up to 5.5 million people could now qualify compared with three million under the previous arrangements.