Fuel prices at German gas stations continued to decline at the turn of the year.
As of December 31, the average price of diesel fuel in Germany was 1,630 euros per liter, an increase of 1.4 cents from the previous week, according to an ADAC spokesperson who spoke to the German news agency on Thursday. Compared to the previous day, the price had risen by 0.5 cents. On New Year’s Day, the average diesel price then rose further by 1.1 cents to 1,641 euros.
The carbon price, which increased from 45 euros to 55 euros per ton on the turn of the year, is likely to have contributed to this rise.
The spokesperson said that the price of petrol was 1,696 euros per liter as of December 31, an increase of 1.1 cents from the previous week and 0.3 cents from the previous day. On January 1, the average price of E10 was 1,706 euros per liter, a one-cent increase from the end of the year.
Rising prices for both types of fuel had been recorded in the weeks before and around Christmas. Prior to that, there had been two consecutive weeks of either lower or stable prices at the gas stations.
The ADAC will publish a year-end review later on Thursday, but it is likely that the 2024 tank year will be slightly more affordable on average than 2023, with the diesel price falling more strongly than the petrol price.
At the start of the year, prices for both types of fuel had been rising almost continuously for several weeks. Then, however, there were many more weeks of price declines than of increases, especially for diesel, before new annual lows were set in late September, and then prices went up again after that.