Overview
- The two‑month Tankrabatt legally expired on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, and fuel that leaves storage after that date carries the restored tax, adding about 16.7 cents per liter to pump prices.
- A rule that allows stations to raise prices only once daily at 12:00 concentrated the adjustment into sharp midday jumps and triggered long queues at many forecourts.
- Data from the ADAC and research institutes showed large midday spikes — about +24 cents for diesel and +20.3 cents for E10 in some measures — and widespread preemptive price moves the day before the expiry.
- Analyses by the Ifo Institute, the Monopolkommission and the Bundeskartellamt found the cut was passed on almost fully for petrol but only partially for diesel (around 12 cents), suggesting some relief accrued upstream to oil firms.
- The measure cost the federal budget roughly €1.6 billion, has prompted political calls for targeted help and regulator probes into unjustified markups, and future pump levels will hinge on world oil markets and geopolitical developments.