Fuel prices reach €2 a litre in France, checks reveal anomalies
Service station owners deny profiteering as checks continue
Prices have increased consistently since last week, and there has been a shortage of fuel in some locations (Photo: Leclerc filling station at Barbezieux in Charente, March 7)Brian McCulloch
One in six service stations checked by anti-fraud forces were overcharging for fuel yesterday, the government stated, as diesel prices reached an average of €2 per litre.
Some 15% - 16% of the 231 stations assessed showed ‘irregularities’ in their pricing, said government spokesperson Maud Bregeon to French media outlet France2 this morning.
“Clearly… prices were raised too soon… in some cases, abuses [were recorded],” Ms Bregeon had previously said to radio station RTL on Monday night.
Trade Minister Serge Papin announced that around 6% of stations that had been checked would be fined after official reports were written over their high prices.
“There are some who are operating under false pretenses, who, on the website [...] put €1.95 on diesel for example, and when you arrive at the station it is €2.10,” he said.
Companies which continue to charge unreasonably high prices risk fines of €300,000.
A jump in crude oil prices following the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East and closure of the Strait of Hormuz has seen fuel prices climb consistently since the start of the month.
Prices continue to rise
It comes as the average price for diesel (gazole) reached €2 per litre, a 26 cent increase in just over a week.
Around 2,000 service stations are already charging more than €2 per litre for diesel –
In Vasles, Deux-Sèvres, one service station was charging €2.90 per litre.
Petrol prices have remained lower, but in more than 70 service stations across France SP95 fuel also reached the €2 per litre mark.
The average cost for a litre of SP95 petrol was €1.80 on Monday, stated the government, more than 8 cents higher than the start of last week.
Note that price increases are constantly changing and there is a huge variation between stations across the country.
Public service broadcaster FranceInfo offers an interactive map showing if prices at the service station closest to you are above or below national averages.
Service stations in the east and south-east are generally more expensive, and in the west and north slightly below average, although this can vary significantly between stations in close proximity to each other.
Major service station operator TotalEnergies had previously committed to a €1.99 per litre cap on fuel during the crisis following the war in Ukraine. It has not said whether a cap will return in 2026.
The graphic below outlines average fuel prices as of March 6, 2026, and provides a breakdown of costs, including taxes.
Finger-pointing continues
Service station providers continue to claim that they are unable to limit rising costs.
“We are bearing the brunt of the prices,” said the president for Service Stations and New Energies branch of service station operator group Mobilians Francis Pousse to FranceInfo on Monday.
“A service station makes a net profit margin of one to two cents," he said, and that claims of ‘profiting’ from the situation were unfounded.
The price of diesel in particular "has increased enormously [because] there is a shortage in Europe. So, we import diesel, which increases in cost because everyone wants to buy it.”
"The French market is extremely competitive, so everyone has to be careful to keep prices low enough to still sell fuel,” he added.
Asked if a fuel rebate policy similar to that introduced in 2022 is possible, Mr Pousse said it is unlikely.
“I simply look at what it will cost. In 2022 the fuel tax rebate cost the government €8 billion. Can we afford to spend that?”
The government has said it is too early for discussions on such policies being enacted.
“We do not really know if this crisis is a sprint or a marathon,” said Mr Papin.
“If we want to lower taxes as some suggest, if we want to freeze prices as others suggest, we will favour the consumer but… it is the taxpayer who will pay in the end,” he added.
Driving associations are also levelling criticisms over high fuel prices, but directing them towards the government.
The 40 millions d’automobilistes association launched a ‘denounce your fill-up’ (Balance ton plein) campaign, inviting drivers to share the price of fuel at their local station.
“The State is exploiting a windfall linked to tensions in the Middle East to fill its coffers through an exorbitant VAT rate,” it said in a press release on Monday.
It is calling on the government to lower the 20% VAT rate on fuel due to the rising costs.
