If you want to save, you should fill up in the evening. This is even more true this year than usual, because the typical price peak in morning rush hour for diesel is higher than at any time since the ADAC examined the development.
Fuel is much more expensive in the morning than in the evening. In May, the difference between the price peak in rush-hour traffic and the low in the evening for diesel was more than 16 cents, according to an evaluation by the ADAC, which the German Press Agency has received in advance. That is more than twice as much as a year ago and the highest value that the traffic club has ever determined in the annual analysis since 2015. For Super E10, the price range also increased compared to the previous year and was around 10 cents.
“In the morning rush hour, an attempt was once again made to demand particularly high prices from some customers,” criticized ADAC expert Jürgen Albrecht. According to the evaluation, the price was highest at around 7 a.m. in the morning. Then Diesel was on average 12 and Super E10 more than 6 cents above the daily average. In the late evening, on the other hand, diesel was around 5 cents below the daily average, E10 just under 4 cents.
In the daily curve, there are a total of seven waves for both types of fuel. The first rises from just before 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. Prices then fall sharply until 9:00 a.m., before picking up again slightly by 10:00 a.m. From there it goes gradually downwards in a wave movement. According to the ADAC, the cheapest time to fill up in May is between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. and between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. That was also the case in previous years. According to the ADAC, there are hardly any price changes at night – at a medium level.
“In June, the cards were reshuffled due to the current shifts,” said Albrecht, referring to the tax cut at the beginning of the month, around which there was a lot of movement on the fuel market. “The periods from 6 to 7 p.m. and from 8 to 10 p.m. remain but probably particularly cheap. Drivers should also keep their eyes open and consciously promote competition through their fuel behavior. And if you do have to fill up in the morning, smaller amounts are often enough.”
According to the ADAC, the prices of practically all petrol stations in Germany in May were included in the evaluation.