Even at more than 2 euros per liter, fuel consumption in March is above average

The war in Iran and the paralysis of the Strait of Hormuz do not affect fuel consumption in France. At least, not for now. And this despite the surge in prices at the pump that the crisis in the Middle East is causing with a price per liter which reached last week on average 1.95 euros for SP95-E10 and 2.11 euros for diesel (and even 2.22 euros according to the average of daily readings this Thursday, March 26).

According to the professional petroleum committee (CPDP), fuel consumption from March 1 to 20, 2026 – just after the start of the war on February 28 – is even higher than that recorded during the first twenty days of February of this year or the first twenty days of March 2025.

“An explosion in demand”

How to explain such a phenomenon? “There was an explosion in demand for fuel during the first decade of March (from 1st to 10th) because the French have stocked up with caution in the face of fear of a price rise, we are told at the CPDP. And, conversely, there it was exceptionally weak during the second decade of March (from 11 to 20). »

Very precisely, consumption between the two periods fell by 24%. “But this is not enough for demand since the beginning of the month to be lower than normal,” we told the CDPD.

A slight drop in consumption in the coming weeks?

Last year, in March, 3.817 million m3 of road fuels were delivered to France and the results should be more or less the same this month. The reason? Fuel consumption is often constrained for professional and personal travel.

Even if some employees may, when they have the possibility, favor public transport or teleworking. Professionals such as freight and people transporters could also choose to reduce their activity.

Consequently, “if prices remain high for a long time, perhaps we will see a slight drop in consumption in the coming weeks and months”, predicts within the CPDP.