In some cities, gasoline now costs an average of 1.80 euros per liter.

In Constance on Lake Constance in the extreme southwest of Germany, for example, the price for Super E10 has even exceeded this mark at times in the past few days.

Even higher prices were observed at individual motorway service stations.

And the particularly expensive own-label petrol brands of the mineral oil companies already cost 2 euros per liter in some places.

In any case, on average across Germany, the Super E10 fuel has now reached a price of 1.645 euros per liter, as reported by the Clever-Tanken Internet portal.

Christian Siedenbiedel

Editor in business.

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Inevitably, a historic all-time high from the previous decade comes into view: On September 13, 2012, Super cost an average of 1.709 euros per liter.

This has so far been considered the highest average price of all time.

At that time, the Bundestag decided that in future all petrol stations will have to report their prices to the Federal Cartel Office in real time so that apps for motorists can be fed with these values.

At that time, the antitrust authorities had an eye on the market power of the mineral oil companies.

The Arab Spring also made crude oil more expensive, at times to around $ 117 per barrel for the North Sea Brent, which today costs just under $ 84.

Gasoline as a driver of inflation

When the price of fuel approaches its historic high or even exceeds it in some places, it is always about one of the most important drivers of inflation in Germany alongside heating oil and gas. Over the course of twelve months, the price has risen by around 32 percent, from 1.242 to 1.645 euros, i.e. by a good 40 cents per liter of Super E10. The new CO2 tax, which was introduced at the beginning of the year, accounts for around 7 cents. Another 3.7 cents go to the account of VAT, which was raised again after a temporary reduction.

While some prices, which fell sharply due to the low demand in the corona pandemic, are now simply returning to their pre-crisis levels, it seems to be different in the case of gasoline prices.

Before the crisis, in autumn 2019, Super cost around 1.38 to 1.40 euros per liter, i.e. more than 20 cents less than at present.

The pre-crisis level was already reached in spring - gasoline is currently more expensive than it has been in nine years.

The last time fuel was more expensive was that fall of 2012 with its all-time high.

"If this value is overtaken, we will have the highest gasoline prices ever," says Jürgen Albrecht, gasoline specialist at the ADAC motorists' club.

The expensive tank autumn 2018, when the low water on the Rhine and its tributaries drove up transport costs, is long out of date.

Crude oil price almost doubles

There is a remarkable connection: Although taxes and duties make up a very high proportion of the price of fuel in Germany, it was not primarily the taxes and duties that have made petrol more expensive in the past twelve months, as Manuel Frondel, an energy specialist at the research institute, says RWI.

The idea that it was primarily the targeted political increase in the price of petrol for reasons of climate protection that caused the price of petrol to rise is therefore wrong.

Of the 40 cents price increase in twelve months, only about 7 cents are at the expense of the CO2 price.