Why are fuel prices still very high at highway gas stations ?

Les prix majorés s’expliquent par les différentes contraintes imposées aux exploitants. MAXPPP – Vincent Isore

Sur la route des vacances, de nombreux automobilistes s’arrêtent sur les aires d’autoroute en quête de quelques litres de carburant. Et la note est souvent salée. On vous explique pourquoi.

According to the observations of BFMTV on the A1 motorway between Paris and Lille, the SP95 liter costs 2.06 euros per liter, i.e. a full tank of 23 liters at 48 euros compared to 44 euros if this tank had been filled in the city , a difference of 9%. Overall, the gap between prices on highways and in town is reaching new heights: +14 cents on average per liter of SP95.

Often, motorists wait until they are on the highway to refuel, but currently the differences with service stations on the national or departmental network are particularly significant.

"People on the highway are a little more trapped and a little less inclined to take detours. As in seaside resorts, coffee is more expensive, on the highway, prices are more expensive, it’s the law of supply and demand ", confirms Pierre Auclair, general manager of Essence & Co.

High operating costs

As we wrote in 2022, distributors give the following explanation for high operating costs: dealership prices and salaries of staff generally present 24/7 days a week. Distributors also have to pay a fee to highway companies, which increases their costs.

We must also take into account the logistical costs inherent to businesses present on motorway service areas. Rest areas scattered along the motorway network are sometimes far from warehouses, which generates additional delivery costs.

Indeed, the areas are required to be open permanently, but also to provide toilets and showers free of charge for truck drivers. So many services have a cost that merchants pass on in the prices they charge.