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Fuel in France For Members

MAP: Where to find the cheapest fuel in France

The Local France
The Local France - [email protected]
MAP: Where to find the cheapest fuel in France
The prices of petrol and diesel are displayed on a sign at the entrance of a service station in Montpellier, southern France, on October 12, 2021. - The price of diesel in France has reached its highest level, two years after the last peak in 2018 which sparked the "yellow vests" protests. (Photo by Pascal GUYOT / AFP)

Prices of petrol and diesel are falling in France - but not as fast as elsewhere in Europe. Here's how to find the cheapest fuel in the country.

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Petrol and diesel prices rose dramatically following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and subsequent sanctions imposed by the West - but are now dropping to pre-war levels. 

Although prices in France have fallen, they have fallen slower than elsewhere and the country now has among the most expensive petrol (gasoline) and diesel in Europe.

While we wait for the reductions in crude oil prices to affect the prices at the pumps, here are some tips on finding cheaper fuel.

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Autoroutes

Unsurprisingly, the highest prices are at service stations on the autoroutes so heading into a town to fill up instead will save you money.

Make sure you know where you are going though. Many supermarkets place signposts next to highway exits, but once you have turned off the signs often trail out leaving you lost in a strange city.

If you end up driving the entire circumference of the city of Tours while having a blazing row with your partner - to quote a completely random example from no-one we know - it rather nullifies any saving you might make on fuel prices.

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Supermarkets

Supermarkets usually come out top of most price comparison sites, as the chains sell fuel at very little profit, but use the filling station as a way of luring the customer into the main store to spend money.

Map

The French government hosts this helpful little interactive map that lists the current price of fuel at filling stations across the country.

If you're in a town it can provide a price comparison, or for long journeys help you plan your route via the cheapest filling points. Click HERE for the full map.

Map: prix-carburants.gouv.fr

There are also apps that do roughly the same thing, including Carbu.com, Essence&Co and Fuel Flash.

French vocab

La station service - filling station

Les carburants - fuel (petrol/gas and diesel)

L'essence - petrol/gas

Gazole - diesel

Sans plomb quatre-vingt-quinze (or SP95) - standard unleaded petrol/gas

Sans plomb quatre-vingt-dix-huit (SP98) - higher octane unleaded petrol/gas

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