Refueling smart: December marks the farewell to low fuel prices

• Super E10 around 3 cents on average, diesel 5 cents more expensive than in November
• Super E10 cheapest in Mannheim, Bonn and Dresden
• Super E10 most expensive in Frankfurt am Main, Wuppertal and Hanover
• Diesel is cheapest in Dresden, Bonn and Leipzig
• Diesel most expensive in Bielefeld, Düsseldorf and Mannheim

Nuremberg, January 4, 2021. The year 2020 said goodbye to motorists in Germany with significantly higher fuel prices in December – and thus gave a foretaste of the coming fueling year. According to the monthly evaluation of the consumer information service Clever Tanken, the liter of Super E10 cost 1.2301 euros on average, the liter of diesel 1.1073 euros. That was around 3 cents and 5 cents more than in November. Steffen Bock, founder and managing director of Clever Tanken: “In December the prices at the petrol pumps rose every week. On the one hand, they have taken into account the higher crude oil prices on the stock exchanges. On the other hand, the filling stations have adjusted to the introduction of the national CO2 price for transport and heating and the prices have already increased in the last days before the turn of the year. In 2021, drivers will generally pay significantly more. Because since January 1st, in addition to the CO2 price, the increase in VAT on the pre-Corona rate of 19 percent has been added to the book. “

The fuel prices in December 2020

Despite the significant additional costs, fuel prices in December remained at a low level compared to the months before the Corona crisis. In December 2019, the liter of Super E10 still cost around 1.3813 euros, the liter of diesel 1.2656 euros. In January of this year, the price for Super E10 was 1.3979 euros and the diesel price was around 1.2935 euros.

Last month, drivers paid an average of 295.22 euros for four tanks of 60 liters of Super E10 each. That was around 6.60 euros more than in November. For the same amount, diesel drivers paid an average of EUR 265.75 – and EUR 12.36 more than in the previous month.

The price difference between Super E10 and diesel was 0.1228 euros per liter in December. Compared to November (0.1468 euros), the gasoline-diesel gap has thus contracted by around 2 cents and for the third time in a row. One reason for this is the increased demand for heating oil, which supports the diesel price.

Drivers paid the least for Super E10 on December 16, the start day of the second Germany-wide lockdown. The liter cost 1.2080 euros on that day in the national average. Diesel was cheapest on December 3rd at 1.0760 euros. The most expensive refueling day for both types of fuel, however, was December 31st. For Super E10, an average of 1.2740 euros was called on New Year’s Eve and 1.1630 euros for diesel.

The cheapest and most expensive fuel months 2020

The cheapest Super E10 month in 2020 was May with an average of 1.1673 euros per liter. The merry month was also the cheapest month for refueling since the beginning of the regular evaluations by Clever Tanken in January 2013. April (1.1691 euros) and November (1.2026 euros) followed in second and third place. The most expensive Super E10 was in January (1.3979 euros), February (1.3766 euros) and March (1.2785 euros).

The cheapest month to fill up for diesel in 2020 was October with 1.0425 euros per liter in the national average. The fuel was last cheaper in February 2016 at 0.9695 euros. In 2020, places two and three went to May (1.0481 euros) and September (1.0495 euros). On the other hand, diesel was most expensive in January (1.2935 euros), February (1.2342 euros) and March (1.1493 euros).

City ranking in December 2020

In the monthly price comparison of the 20 largest German cities by Clever Tanken, Super E10 was on average cheapest in December in Mannheim (1.2018 euros), Bonn (1.2022 euros) and Dresden (1.2100 euros). The most expensive was the Super E10 in Frankfurt am Main (1.2515 euros), Wuppertal (1.2454 euros) and Hanover (1.2441 euros). For four fillings of 60 liters of Super E10, drivers paid around 300.36 euros in expensive Frankfurt am Main – around 11.93 euros more than in cheap Mannheim.

In the ranking of the cheapest diesel tank cities, places one to three went to Dresden (EUR 1.0795), Bonn (EUR 1.0899) and Leipzig (EUR 1.0938). On the other hand, diesel was most expensive in Bielefeld (1.1274 euros), Düsseldorf (1.1175 euros) and Mannheim (1.1166 euros).

City ranking in 2020

The cheapest Super E10 tank city in 2020 was Bonn. The liter of Super E10 cost 1.2257 euros on an annual average. Eight times Bonn was in first place in this category, twice in second place. Mannheim (1.2287 euros) and Dresden (1.2416 euros) followed in second and third place in the annual ranking. In contrast, drivers paid the most for Super E10 in Frankfurt am Main (1.2635 euros), Hanover (1.2604 euros) and Bremen (1.2593 euros).

The three cheapest diesel tank cities in 2020 were Bonn (1.0841 euros), Leipzig (1.0937 euros) and Dresden (1.0993 euros). On average over the year, diesel was the most expensive in Stuttgart (EUR 1.1147), Bremen (EUR 1.1129) and Hanover (EUR 1.1117).

Outlook for 2021

According to Steffen Bock, the fact that fuel prices rose in December is due in particular to the significant increase in oil prices last month. A barrel (159 liters) of the Brent variety, which is important for Germany, cost more than 52 US dollars in the middle of the month – the highest value since the beginning of March, the beginning of the Corona crisis.

“The worldwide approval of the corona vaccines is currently spurring the stock exchanges. The sooner large quantities of it are available, the sooner the global economy will recover. The demand for oil and thus also the oil and fuel prices are likely to rise further in the coming months, ”explains Bock. “In addition, the stockbrokers are positive about Joe Biden’s assumption of office as US President on January 20th. Because on the markets, it is linked to the hope of stronger partnerships with other countries – and thus additional economic tailwind. “

According to Steffen Bock, the price driver in this country in the new year will also be the state introduction of the CO2 price for transport and heating. It serves to make fossil fuels more expensive in order to accelerate the development of climate-friendly alternatives. Sellers and refineries have to pay 25 euros to start with for every tonne of CO2 that is produced, for example, when burning petrol and diesel. The price will then rise to 55 euros per ton by 2025, and emissions trading will start in 2026. Certificates are then auctioned between a minimum price of 55 euros per tonne of CO2 and a maximum price of 65 euros per tonne, depending on market demand. “The corporations will pass on the CO2 start price to customers from January 1, 2021. This alone will make the Super E10 around 7 cents more expensive per liter from the beginning of the year, and diesel around 8 cents more. Together with the reintroduction of the regular VAT rate, fuel prices should rise by around 10 to 11 cents per liter at the beginning of the new year, ”explains Steffen Bock.

The expert recommends that drivers always compare the fuel prices along their planned route via the app, navigation device or the Internet. In this way you save even if prices rise and stimulate competition among providers. You should note the sometimes enormous jumps in the course of the day and between the providers. Favorable refueling times are often between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. and from 6 p.m. in the evening.

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