If you have to fill in around Easter

What day and time is the cheapest to refuel? Certainly not during rush hour, as this exclusive assessment shows.

Gasoline prices are like a yo-yo: sometimes they race down, then suddenly they rise again at high speed. Such a sight happens even several times during the day – sometimes more than 30 times.

During the day, t-online compared prices at more than 14,000 gas stations in Germany: when is the most expensive fuel and when is the cheapest? And how will prices develop on Easter?

• Every day, the patterns are similar:
• From 6 to 7 in the morning, that is, during rush hour, the prices are the highest.
• They then descend to briefly rise again every two to three hours. There is a small peak at 9 am, but it is much lower than in the early morning.
• It also becomes more expensive around 12, 15 and 19 hours after rush hour.
• On Saturdays and Sundays, the prices are even the highest in the morning, during the day they are usually more average.
• Between the highest and lowest price per liter there can be a price difference of ten cents or more during the day.

Here you can see an overview of the weekly rating for Super, E10 and Diesel. By clicking on the corresponding day of the week, you can see the curve with an exemplary development in detail. Mid-week is best when demand is lowest, especially Tuesdays and Wednesdays:

Fuel is usually cheapest between 18:00 and 19:00 and 20:00 and 22:00, ADAC also confirms. Do not refuel between 5 and 8 in the morning. At night, there is almost no fluctuation.

Price trends are mainly related to the price war between gas stations: they try to attract customers with low prices. Above a certain level, it is no longer profitable from a financial point of view – prices rise sharply again, and then begin to slowly fall.

Easter holidays are approaching – and prices at gas stations know only one direction: up. In last year’s t-online rating, they went up, especially since Maundy Thursday. Interestingly, however, while Easter Sunday saw the biggest price swing in the morning at 6am, the Tuesday after Easter is on average the most expensive. Oil multinationals seem to be trying to cheat those customers who deliberately avoid filling up on holidays.

Tip: It’s best to stock up before the Easter holidays – or well after, ie. at the end of the holidays. And remember that your fueling behavior can help your competition: keep an eye out for low prices. You can also use comparison portals such as tanken.t-online.de.

On average, fuel costs up to four cents per liter at truck stops, and according to Andreas Mundt, head of the Federal Cartel Office, you can expect “significantly higher prices” on motorways, where the surcharge can be as much as 25 cents. per liter.

Why is this? On the one hand, it is an operator: “Tank & Rast GmbH” has a concession for almost all gas stations and their gas stations. They are awarded through a bidding process and customers ultimately bear the cost of this award. In addition, service areas are open 24 hours a day – and this also costs money. And, presumably, a monopoly position is also used. However, “Tank und Rast” refutes this and refers to the oil companies, which will set the appropriate prices, writes “Auto Motor und Sport”.