Rising prices: filling the tank is €16.50 more expensive than a year ago for diesel cars, €7 for gasoline

It'll come as a surprise to nobody that prices are rising.

Filling up the car tank is now €16.50 more expensive this summer than last year for diesel cars, and €7 more for gasoline cars, according to data from the Ministry of Ecological Transition consulted by the Catalan News Agency (ACN).

The arrival of the August holiday season, kicking off in earnest on Friday, comes just hours before a withdrawal of fuel price subsidies comes into effect on Saturday.

La Jonquera, near the French border, is seeing plenty of movement of cars. At the Grupo Tramuntana gas station, the coming and going of vehicles to refuel is constant.

Most are French and, although many do not know that tomorrow the price will be more expensive, everyone agrees that even if it increases, it is still cheaper than in France.

Starting on Saturday, the price of gasoline and diesel will increase due to the increase in tax. From August 1, fuel will be six cents more expensive per litre.

Joel, from the Lot department, in Occitania, took the opportunity to fuel up in La Jonquera on Friday. "In France, there is actually a price per litre plus taxes. It's a real scandal," he says. "We were near La Jonquera and we took the opportunity to fill up," he adds.

The family of Olivier and Morgane David, from Chaumont, are spending the holidays in Leucate, but they also took the chance to go to La Jonquera to do some shopping and fill up the car. They did not know that the price would increase tomorrow, but they point out that, despite this, it is still makes financial sense to come to Catalonia to fill their tanks.

Lorraine, from Grenoble, who is spending a few days at the home of friends in Perpignan, did the same. This Friday, she went down to the town with her wife to buy some products and fill up with gasoline. "The price of a litre there is €2.18. It is still cheaper," she says.

At the Tramuntana gas station, the information panel indicated this Friday that Gasolina 95 costs €1.65 per liter while diesel is €1.79. The person in charge of the facilities admitted this morning that the influx of people was greater than usual.