The end of the tank discount in Germany is imminent. But what can motorists expect in September? About a possible future at the pump.
Hamm – He is hotly disputed: The tank discount in Germany is intended to relieve drivers at the gas station. Gasoline and diesel prices rose due to the Ukraine war, the corona pandemic and crude oil prices. The federal government tried to lower the high fuel prices with the tank discount for three months. But what comes after the discount?
Tank discount before the end: This is what motorists can now expect at the pump
With the tank discount, the federal government had hoped that petrol would be 29.55 cents cheaper per liter, and the price of diesel should be reduced by 14.04 cents. The energy tax should reduce fuel to the EU-wide minimum level in June, July and August by reducing the tax rate, and there will also be savings on VAT.
The energy tax was reduced as follows:
- Petrol: 35 cents per liter (30 cents reduction in energy tax and 5 cents less VAT)
- Diesel: 17 cents per liter (14 cents reduction in energy tax, 3 cents less VAT)
It is unclear whether the tank discount really achieved the success at the pumps that the federal government had hoped it would. The ADAC judges harshly: “The prices are still greatly inflated,” says the ADAC fuel price expert Christian Laberer. Because the reductions do not reach the drivers. “As a neutral body, the Cartel Office must determine that the discount is not being used, and politicians should act. Because at the moment the taxpayer is promoting the profits of the mineral oil industry, which is apparently using the crisis situation to maximize profits at the expense of consumers.”
End of the tank discount: How expensive will petrol and diesel be in September?
The prices for each liter of Super and Diesel were also high at the beginning of the tank discount. Will motorists have to pay significantly higher prices from September 1st?
Almost all the media are expecting more expensive fuels at the filling stations – and this was already the case in the last week of August, as wa.de reports. Focus Online brings three possible scenarios into play:
- 1. Diesel and petrol will cost around 2 euros per liter without a tank discount from 1 September and prices will not rise above 2.10 euros.
- 2. Prices are rising moderately: Diesel is becoming cheaper than petrol again, but is still more than 2.10 euros. In this scenario, the price of petrol is around 2.15 euros.
- 3. Prices are exploding: petrol rises to a price of over 2.20 euros, diesel is slightly cheaper than Super.
The current oil prices are currently at the level they were before the Ukraine war. But it is still unclear how much of this will be passed on to drivers. So far, the interaction between the price of crude oil and the tank discount has not been successful – it remains to be seen whether the mineral oil companies will pass the lower prices on to consumers.
Focus Online dares to predict that an explosion in fuel prices is unlikely. A look at the figures confirms the assessment: At the height of the Ukraine war, the price of crude oil for a barrel was still 139 dollars. It has dipped below $100 since August 2022.
