How much can you expect to pay for fuel in Italy as prices soar?
Fuel prices in Italy have been soaring again over the past few weeks, with the cost of petrol touching new highs on Wednesday. Here’s a look at the latest figures.
Nearly eight months after a sudden hike in fuel costs prompted an official investigation into petrol stations’ practices, motorists in Italy were once again dealing with sky-high prices this week.
The average price of petrol across the national motorway network was just above €2 a litre (2.019) on Wednesday, but prices as high as €2,7 a litre were seen on the A8 motorway, which connects Milan to Varese in northern Italy.
According to the latest available data, the price of petrol (gasoline) registered an average increase of 4 cents a litre between August 1st and Wednesday, August 16th.
But the hike was even steeper for diesel as prices rose by an average 7 cents a litre over the same period of time, stopping just shy of the €2 threshold (1.928) on Wednesday.
Fuel prices were generally lower across the regional road network, though the cost of petrol was still just cents away from the €2 mark in most Italian regions, with Puglia and the Bolzano province leading the pack as the most expensive places to fill up the tank.
READ ALSO: Where can you find the cheapest fuel in Italy?
The new hike in fuel prices sparked outrage from consumer groups on Wednesday, with some suggesting the spike may be due to “price fixing” strategies on the part of some petrol stations at the peak of the holiday season.
Codacons – Italy’s biggest consumer association – said they would soon file complaints with all regional police authorities in the country and over 100 Public Prosecutor offices to request a new round of investigations into petrol stations’ practices.
Codacons president Carlo Rienzi also called for “controls and seizures at all stations selling petrol for over 2 euros a litre”.
But petrol stations weren't the only target of criticism on Wednesday as many media reports and opposition forces pointed to the poor results of the government’s latest measures on fuel prices.
Notably, a new law requiring petrol stations to display average national (or regional in the case of state road stations) fuel prices next to their own tariffs came into force in early August in a bid to discourage speculation.
But the measure has so far proven to be “useless” and perhaps even “counterproductive”, according to the National Petrol Station Association (Fegica).
As a result, opposition forces on Wednesday were reportedly pressuring the government to reintroduce a previous 30-cents-a-litre discount on fuel excise duties.
First brought in by ex-PM Mario Draghi, the measure had been scrapped by Giorgia Meloni’s government in late 2022 amid decreasing fuel prices.
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Nearly eight months after a sudden hike in fuel costs prompted an official investigation into petrol stations’ practices, motorists in Italy were once again dealing with sky-high prices this week.
The average price of petrol across the national motorway network was just above €2 a litre (2.019) on Wednesday, but prices as high as €2,7 a litre were seen on the A8 motorway, which connects Milan to Varese in northern Italy.
According to the latest available data, the price of petrol (gasoline) registered an average increase of 4 cents a litre between August 1st and Wednesday, August 16th.
But the hike was even steeper for diesel as prices rose by an average 7 cents a litre over the same period of time, stopping just shy of the €2 threshold (1.928) on Wednesday.
Fuel prices were generally lower across the regional road network, though the cost of petrol was still just cents away from the €2 mark in most Italian regions, with Puglia and the Bolzano province leading the pack as the most expensive places to fill up the tank.
READ ALSO: Where can you find the cheapest fuel in Italy?
The new hike in fuel prices sparked outrage from consumer groups on Wednesday, with some suggesting the spike may be due to “price fixing” strategies on the part of some petrol stations at the peak of the holiday season.
Codacons – Italy’s biggest consumer association – said they would soon file complaints with all regional police authorities in the country and over 100 Public Prosecutor offices to request a new round of investigations into petrol stations’ practices.
Codacons president Carlo Rienzi also called for “controls and seizures at all stations selling petrol for over 2 euros a litre”.
But petrol stations weren't the only target of criticism on Wednesday as many media reports and opposition forces pointed to the poor results of the government’s latest measures on fuel prices.
Notably, a new law requiring petrol stations to display average national (or regional in the case of state road stations) fuel prices next to their own tariffs came into force in early August in a bid to discourage speculation.
But the measure has so far proven to be “useless” and perhaps even “counterproductive”, according to the National Petrol Station Association (Fegica).
As a result, opposition forces on Wednesday were reportedly pressuring the government to reintroduce a previous 30-cents-a-litre discount on fuel excise duties.
First brought in by ex-PM Mario Draghi, the measure had been scrapped by Giorgia Meloni’s government in late 2022 amid decreasing fuel prices.
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