Diesel surpassed €2.39 per liter on average in France, setting a new record, while more than 700 stations were displaying it at over €2.50 per liter.
This surge, linked to energy disruptions caused by the war between the United States and Israel and Iran, is compounded by local shortages and an unusual commercial battle: by capping its diesel at €2.25, TotalEnergies is attracting motorists in large numbers, gaining market share and provoking the anger of several competitors.
- Diesel surpassed €2.39 per liter on average on September 18, a new record.
- More than 700 stations displayed more than €2.50 per liter and about 70 exceeded €2.70.
- At the official reading of September 18 at 9 a.m., 11% of stations experienced a supply difficulty on at least one diesel and/or petrol product.
- TotalEnergies caps its diesel at €2.25 and petrol at €1.99.
- Patrick Pouyanné estimates TotalEnergies’ market share has moved from around 22% to 25%.
- The cap would have already cost the group between €250 and €300 million, according to its CEO.
Diesel Surpasses Its April Record
The symbolic threshold has now been crossed. On Friday, September 18, the average price of diesel in France exceeded €2.39 per liter, according to an AFP calculation based on prices declared by more than 9,000 service stations on the government platform Prix-carburants.gouv.fr.
This level surpassed the previous peak recorded in April 2026, slightly above €2.38.
The SP95-E10, the most sold petrol in France, was meanwhile around €2.17 per liter.
Around €120 for a full tankWith diesel around €2.40 per liter, a 50-liter fill now costs around €120. For 60 liters, the bill approaches €144.
More than 700 stations above €2.50
The national average masks considerable gaps.
More than 700 service stations displayed a liter of diesel at more than €2.50 on Friday and around 70 exceeded €2.70.
At €2.70 per liter, a 50-liter fill reaches €135.
More than a hundred stations also quoted SP95-E10 at €2.40 or more.
These data must also be read with caution: not all stations update their prices every day. To establish its average, AFP takes into account stations that have declared a price sufficiently recent on the government database, with a special treatment for prices deliberately capped.
11% of stations in difficulty on September 18 at 9 a.m.
The problem is not limited to price.
According to the official reading of Prix-carburants.gouv.fr as of September 18, 2026 at 9 a.m., 89% of French stations reported no difficulty. Consequently, 11% were experiencing a rupture of at least one diesel and/or petrol product.
Why 11% does not mean that only 11% of stations are missing a specific fuel
The definition used by French authorities is important.
The official indicator covers stations experiencing “shortages of at least one diesel and/or petrol product.” A station can thus have unavailability for a particular reference without necessarily being considered entirely devoid of fuel.
Conversely, 11% does not mean that these stations are completely dry either.
Therefore, this rate is an indicator of general pressure on the distribution network, and not an exhaustive record of the availability of every fuel at every station.
TotalEnergies at €2.25: drivers switch stations
The French situation is made even more distinctive by TotalEnergies’ pricing policy.
On July 22, 2026, the group officially restored across all its stations in metropolitan France its cap at €1.99 per liter for gasoline and €2.25 for diesel.
With the average price of diesel now close to €2.40, the gap approaches 15 cents per liter.
On 50 liters, this represents about €7.50 of difference.
Consequently, many motorists are turning to TotalEnergies stations.
In its briefing on September 16, the government stated that around 90% of stations facing supply difficulties belonged to the TotalEnergies network. The executive attributed this largely to the influx of consumers drawn by the cap and the subsequent replenishment constraints.
The TotalEnergies paradoxThe further the market price moves away from the €2.25 cap, the more motorists head toward TotalEnergies. The group thus sells more, but some stations risk running dry more quickly.
From 22% to 25% market share
The strategy yields a measurable commercial effect.
Patrick Pouyanné, CEO of TotalEnergies, estimates that his group now holds around 25% of the French fuel distribution market, versus about 22% typically.
The leader notes, however, that this increase in volumes does not automatically translate into financial gain, since TotalEnergies sells a portion of its fuels below the international price at which it could value them.
He estimates the cumulative cost of the cap at around €250 to €300 million.
Patrick Pouyanné promised to maintain this protection as long as the Middle East conflict lasts.
He has warned, however, that if an additional tax on “superprofits” were decided, TotalEnergies could permanently refuse to renew such a scheme in the future.
Cooperative U denounces ‘unfair’ competition
The success of the cap has now triggered a real commercial war among distributors.
Dominique Schelcher, CEO of Coopérative U, considers the situation creates a form of “unfair competition.”
His argument: TotalEnergies is simultaneously producer, refiner and distributor and can thus absorb part of the cost of the cap, unlike major retailers who buy the fuel before reselling it.
Coopérative U says its volumes of fuel sold have fallen by 7% since the beginning of the year compared with 2025.
Dominique Schelcher does not attribute this solely to TotalEnergies. He cites also changes in consumer behavior faced with high prices.
Michel-Édouard Leclerc has also criticized this difference in situation between TotalEnergies and large retail distributors.
The Middle East war at the heart of the surge
The French crisis has first an international origin.
Since the outbreak, on February 28, 2026, of the war between the United States and Israel against Iran, oil markets and Gulf energy flows have been greatly disrupted.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of global oil flows passed before the conflict, remains at the heart of concerns.
The tension is even higher for refined fuels. A country may have crude oil but not immediately the corresponding diesel: it must still be refined, transported, and delivered to stations.
This is one of the reasons why diesel prices can remain very high even when the price of crude oil temporarily falls.
Brent closes below $104
Oil prices fell on Friday for the third consecutive session.
The North Sea Brent for November delivery fell 0.91% to settle at $103.87 per barrel, after $104.82 on Thursday.
According to AFP, it has fallen nearly 3% since the start of the week.
The American West Texas Intermediate for October delivery fell 1.58% to $100.30 per barrel.
The market reacted notably to reports of a progressive restart of the Saudi East-West oil pipeline.
According to a Commerzbank analysis cited by AFP, market information suggested a possible restoration of at least 50% of its capacity in the coming days. This is at this stage market anticipation and not an officially restored capacity.
Macron wants to convene the G7 on energy stocks
Facing the consequences of the energy crisis, Emmanuel Macron announced on Friday that the G7 would meet in the coming weeks.
The stated objective is notably to strengthen coordination among partners on energy stock levels, but also on hydrocarbon and liquefied natural gas supplies.
Strategic stocks have already played a major role since the start of the crisis.
In March, the 32 member countries of the International Energy Agency decided to make available 400 million barrels from their emergency reserves, the largest coordinated action ever decided by the agency.
France Also Pushes Its Refineries
Paris is acting in parallel on its territory.
The Port-Jérôme refinery has obtained an exemption allowing it to increase its production by about 10%.
Some maintenance operations have also been postponed to retain more available capacity.
Authorities have furthermore granted exemptions for the movement of tanker trucks on Sundays and holidays to facilitate the replenishment of stations.
The government thus maintains that there is no nationwide shortage: supply chains are functioning, but they face occasional tensions, extremely high international prices and an unusual concentration of demand toward the cheapest stations.
France is not experiencing a national diesel shortage, but tensions are real.
Diesel exceeds €2.39 per liter on average and more than 700 stations display €2.50 or more. At the official reading of September 18 at 9 a.m., 11% of stations reported a difficulty on at least one fuel. TotalEnergies’ cap at €2.25 protects some motorists but is reshaping the market: the group attracts more customers and estimates its market share at 25%, while several competitors denounce a distortion of competition.
