Motorists at German petrol pumps are facing record prices each time they top up their tanks, according to to the country's largest drivers association, the ADAC.

The most recent hike in gasoline and diesel prices has been attributed to high crude oil prices amid geopolitical uncertainty and the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

How much do drivers pay?

The General German Automobile Club (ADAC) on Wednesday said that the price of the base standard unleaded fuel available at most stations, Super E10, had risen to a nationwide average of €1.712 ($1.933) per liter (0.264 gallons). 

That price exceeded a previous high of €1.709 on September 13, 2012, in the wake of political turmoil in the Middle East and Libya, and the European debt crisis. 

The ADAC had already released a press release calling January the most expensive aggregate month on record for German motorists. On January 31, the price of diesel also reached a new record high according to ADAC, with a liter costing €1.637.

In recent months, the price of fuel has been steadily climbing. In the past week, the price of E10 rose by 3.1 cents per liter and diesel by 2.9 cents.

Why are prices so high?

ADAC said the higher gasoline price was primarily linked to a current spike in crude oil price, with a barrel of Brent crude currently costing about $89 dollars (€78.85).

According to the ADAC, geopolitical factors are also playing a role, with the uncertain situation in Ukraine and the conflict in Yemen influencing global oil prices and therefore driving up prices at the gas station.

Inflation has also picked up pace in recent months in Germany, driven in large part by energy prices, and was provisionally calculated at 4.9% for the month of January by the German Federal Statistical Office. 

Other experts cite a stuttering return of economic confidence as the world looks to emerge from the pandemic, with supply sometimes failing to meet demand.

Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied nations were set to meet on Wednesday to decide how much oil to feed into the global economy.

A large part of the price of fuel at the pump is made up of taxes and duties and taxes imposed at a national level. German prices are among the highest in the world. For drivers in the neighboring Netherlands, the cost was even higher — at an average that hit €2 per liter on Wednesday. 

rc/msh (dpa, AFP)