French supermarkets pledge to cut car fuel by 30 cents a litre

Drivers in France are searching for competitive fuel prices as costs remain high across the country. 

Yesterday saw diesel prices in France top an average of €2 per litre, with petrol prices for different fuel types also increasing.

Cuts of up to 30 cents per litre are on their way at thousands of supermarket service stations, sector leaders announced this morning, but this is only set to be a temporary measure.

Comments by US President Donald Trump of a supposed imminent end to the conflict in the Middle East at the start of the week led crude oil prices to drop yesterday.

However, service stations are often slower to pass reduced prices onto drivers and the risk of a prolonged conflict means it is probably too soon for prices to fall, other than via special measures.

The government will continue spot-checks of fuel stations across France today, after discovering dozens of pricing ‘irregularities’ on Monday (March 9).

A release of emergency oil supply onto the market to push down costs remains a possibility, and will be discussed by European officials later in the week. 

France, alongside many other countries, has an emergency reserve of around three months’ oil supply, but this cannot be released to the market without wider approval.

The US previously stated its support for a release of around 30% of stocked reserves across several nations.

Temporary fuel price cut of 30 cents at some stations 

Service station suppliers have continued to criticise refineries for increasing their prices from the offset of the conflict, despite holding two to three weeks of fuel refined at a lower price prior to the outbreak of conflict.

A number of service stations have therefore banded together to decrease prices over the coming days and challenge refineries.

“We are putting pressure on the refineries,” said Michel-Édouard Leclerc, head of the E.Leclerc chain, to public service broadcaster FranceInfo today.

“We have negotiated to be among the first to benefit from the downward movement,” he said.

“Over the next two days, as the stations are restocked, we'll see a decrease of €0.23, then another €0.07, which is roughly €0.30 per litre,” he said. This includes diesel.

The cheaper fuel will be available at E.Leclerc and U group service stations, and it is expected that Carrefour and Intermarché will also join in by cutting prices, Mr Leclerc said.

Regarding the increase in prices over the last two weeks, “this is probably an anticipation bubble, speculative, very early on, at the refinery level,” he added. 

There is no information on how long any cheaper fuel programme will last, with Mr Leclerc saying “as long as the conflict continues in the Middle East [prices will] fluctuate wildly. 

“If this continues, support measures will be needed for more motorists on modest incomes,” he added.

How to find the best price of fuel near you?

The increase in demand for fuel, high variation in prices – including from special measures such as the one above – and general instability of the global market makes tracking average fuel prices across France more challenging. 

The French government provides a weekly update on average fuel prices, however fluctuations throughout the week mean this cannot always be relied upon. 

It is therefore best to use real-time data to compare fuel prices at petrol stations around you.

The government’s fuel price comparison website is good for this – the interactive map offers filters for several fuel types, and you can quickly compare different prices in a catchment area. 

It is frequently updated to reflect current prices – usually daily – and you can inform them via the website if prices online do not match those at the service station. 

Some French media outlets have also created their own maps, including RMC and La Dépêche. 

The RMC map is colour-coded to show if prices are cheaper or more expensive than the national average, however the data can be older than that on the government site.