Fuel prices in France saw a sharp increase in the last week after a year of steady decline.
Prices increased by around 1.5% for petrol, but 5.3% for diesel, by some 8.3 cents from the week before.
These are national averages, with prices varying between regions and service stations, however they point to a general rise in prices across the board.
The graph below shows the status of petrol and diesel prices since 2014 up to June 20, 2025.
In the last year, fuel prices have steadily fallen reaching levels last seen in 2021 and the start of 2022 before the recent increase.
The spike in 2022 was caused by the war in Ukraine, and it is once again global tensions that have caused prices to increase in recent days.
An outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Iran, the threat of wider US involvement in the conflict, and Iran’s threat to close the vital Strait of Hormuz through which some 20% of global oil and gas flows all contributed to the price of crude oil increasing, which had a knock-on effect on fuel prices.
It is not yet clear if prices will continue to rise however if they do petrol stations may bring back some of the policies seen during previous years, including fuel price caps and special events to sell fuel at cost price.
Previous government schemes such as the fuel cheque are considered unlikely to be repeated however, as officials are looking to save up to €40 billion in the upcoming budget.
