Fuel prices are not going to drop ‘for several months’, head of E.Leclerc supermarket Michel-Edouard Leclerc is warning drivers in France.
Prices “won’t fall anytime soon” in general, Mr Leclerc said to radio station Europe 1 yesterday (April 20), and believes it is unfathomable for prices to drop to pre-war levels in the coming months.
“Between [infrastructure that has been] destroyed, the ships that are stuck... we have at least six months, maybe until next winter, of an energy crisis ahead of us,” he added.
Ending the scheme, which requires companies to provide funding to individuals and businesses for certain energy reduction profits, would see fuel prices drop by 15c - 17c per litre, Mr Leclerc said to Radio 1, and could come into force immediately.
A meeting on the matter yesterday between fuel suppliers and the government seems unlikely to lead to any substantial changes, with both sides unwilling to budge on their preferred method.
However, the government said that service station operators are passing on price decreases to drivers in the form of cheaper fuel where possible, confirmed by the French federation of petroliers (Ufip).
Oil prices responsible
The effects of the conflict in the Middle East between the US/Israel and Iran will have long repercussions on prices for both drivers and suppliers, said Mr Leclerc.
“It’s impossible today, even for an operator, a distributor, or a buyer, to have a purchasing plan,” said Mr Leclerc, citing “volatility of 60 cents sometimes in a week per litre.”
“We’re talking about a litre of fuel, but in fact, it’s a litre of crude oil used for fuels [such as diesel, petrol, and kerosene]... on these secondary markets, prices are also fluctuating,” he said.
Mr Leclerc cautiously estimated a drop of around 10c per litre in fuel prices following the announcement of a ceasefire between the US and Iran, however tensions have continued along the Strait of Hormuz.
Although uncertain, a return to conflict, and a prolonged closure of the strait, seems increasingly likely, and may see fuel prices shoot up to pre-ceasefire highs.
For his part, president of the International Energy Agency Fatih Birol said it could take up to two years for pre-war conditions to return.
Diesel prices have remained mostly stable in France in the last few days, at around €2.23 – €2.22 per litre.
This is down close to 20c from highs seen immediately prior to the ceasefire announcement, but still well above figures seen in February 2026 prior to the start of the conflict.
You can track diesel prices hourly in our article here. The graphic below shows diesel averages across several service station operators in France at the start of the week.
In turn, petrol prices have hovered at around €1.90 - €2.00 per litre depending on exact type, and have remained essentially unchanged in the last week.
Most fuels have seen a 15% or higher per litre increase in price since the start of the conflict, for diesel close to 40%.
