Oil above $100: what does this mean for your fill-up?

As of this week, a barrel of Brent crude is once again costing more than $100—the first time since July. The cause is well known: hostilities between Iran and the United States are continuing, negotiations have yielded no results, and the market is pricing in uncertainty.

At the end of June, a barrel was still hovering around $70. In April, there was a peak of $126. Such fluctuations primarily reflect market nervousness—and they take time to filter through to the pump.

Current prices

The recommended price for a liter of Euro 95 is just over €2.72. In early September, it was €2.67. Diesel is priced at over €2.70, nearing the record of €2.80 set in April.

That recommended price isn't necessarily what you pay. It serves as a guideline, and in practice, you mostly see it displayed along highways. Gas station operators decide their own prices. ## The difference that really matters

Here is the point missing from most news reports: when the recommended price rises, the gap between gas stations widens too.

Not every station adjusts at the same speed. Unmanned stations along provincial roads adjust their prices differently than highway stations with shops and car washes. When oil prices are stable, these prices tend to track closely together. When prices rise, the gap widens.

Right now in the Netherlands, there is a difference of over 40 cents per liter between the cheapest and most expensive gas stations for Euro 95 fuel. For a 40-liter fill-up, that’s a difference of sixteen euros—for the same fuel, in the same country, on the same day.

You can’t do anything about the price of oil. But you can choose which station to use.

Three things that pay off more than usual right now

Look beyond your usual station. Habit costs money when prices start to diverge. A station that offered reasonable prices last month might not this week.

Don’t fill up right before getting on the highway. Highway stations track recommended prices most closely. Turning off a few kilometers earlier often saves more than the detour costs.

Fill up in time, not when running on fumes. If you drive on the last few liters, you end up filling up wherever you happen to be. That is precisely the moment when you no longer have a choice.

What we’re doing about it

Every day, Tankslim collects prices from nearly four thousand Dutch gas stations. Not to predict oil prices—nobody can do that—but to show you where it’s cheapest today in your area. Including the actual cost of the detour to get there.

At an oil price of 70 dollars, that saves a few euros per fill-up. At 100 dollars, it becomes even more worthwhile.