Overview
- The federal Tankrabatt cut the energy tax by 14.04 cents per liter (about 16.7 cents including VAT) and has been in force since 1 October, running until 31 December 2026.
- Analysts disagree on how much of the rebate reached consumers: the Ifo Institute reports near‑full pass‑through for petrol (about 16–17 cents) but only roughly 14 cents for diesel, while DIW and benzinampel.de show lower or highly variable overall transmission.
- Price changes differ strongly by state and station: benzinampel.de finds Bavaria and Hesse among the areas with the smallest E10 cuts (around 9–11 cents), while Brandenburg and some counties recorded declines closer to the full rebate.
- State premiers at the Ministerpräsidentenkonferenz have formally asked the federal government for faster, broader relief and a prompt proposal for measures such as a general electricity tax cut and a fuel‑price cap.
- Market forces help explain the split outcome because wholesale price swings can erase parts of a tax cut and retailers are not legally required to pass savings to customers, so drivers are advised to compare stations and avoid midday refuelling to get the best price.