Diesel exceeded €1.60 per liter for the first time amid rising oil prices
Fuel prices reached a record last week, diesel exceeding €1.60 per liter for the first time in a context of rising oil prices, according to official figures from the Ministry of Ecological Transition published on Monday January 17 . The most widely used fuel in France, diesel sold the previous week at €1.6214 per liter on average. The price had reached €1.5583 per liter the week ending January 7, an amount equivalent to the previous record dating from October 15.
The previous price peak had taken place in 2018, a little over a month before the start of the yellow vests movement: the liter was then trading for €1.5331 on October 12.
In addition, unleaded 1995-E10, the most popular gasoline, sold for €1.6821, an increase of more than 2 cents compared to the previous record set the previous week. Steadily rising in recent weeks, prices have exceeded the previous record since October, dating back to August 2013 (€1.5691 per litre).
Unleaded 95 at €1.7 per liter
During the same period, a liter of unleaded 95 sold on average at €1.7069, including taxes, compared to €1.6823 per liter the previous week. The third highest average dates back to 2012, at €1.6664 per litre. Unleaded 98 also reached a record, at €1.7674 per litre.
Oil prices have been on the rise since the start of 2022. Thus, the price of a barrel of Brent from the North Sea reached a three-year high on Monday, boosted by supply disruptions in Libya and Nigeria among others. , and by an upturn in demand. Prices at the pump follow the price of a barrel of oil but also obey several other factors (euro-dollar exchange rate, level of stocks of petroleum products and demand, taxes, etc.).
In October, faced with this price increase, but also with broader concerns about purchasing power, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced an “inflation allowance” of 100 euros for 38 million French people.