German automobile club, the ADAC, compared the cost of filling up on fuel at different times of the day in a study conducted in May.
And the car experts found that an evening trip to the gas station can save a lot of money in the long run. They found that fuel was much pricier in the morning compared to later on in the day.
During May, the difference between the price peak in rush hour and the low in the evening for diesel was more than 16 cents, the ADAC said.
This is more than twice as much as a year ago - and the highest figure ever recorded by the transport club in its analysis, which has been carried out annually since 2015.
For Super E10 petrol, the price difference between the high and low was around 10 cents - which is also an increase compared to the previous year.
Driving experts slammed the large price differences.
"In the morning rush hour, there was once again an attempt to charge particularly high prices to some customers," said ADAC expert Jürgen Albrecht.
According to the study, the price was highest in the morning at around 7am. At this time diesel was on average 12 cents and Super E10 more than 6 cents above the daily average. In the late evening, on the other hand, diesel was around 5 cents below the daily average, and E10 just under 4 cents.
The ADAC found that the first price rises for fuel at the pumps arrive shortly before 5am and last until 7am. Prices then fall sharply until 9am, only to rise again at around 10am. From there, the price gradually drops throughout the day in a wave movement.
According to the ADAC, the cheapest times to fill up at the pumps in May were between 6 and 7pm, and between 8 and 10pm. This was also the case in previous years. Experts say prices remain fairly stable during the night.
As The Local has been reporting, Germany brought in a fuel tax cut for the months of June, July and August as part of a raft of measures aimed at providing some financial relief during the energy crisis.
But there have been concerns that oil companies are not passing on the tax cut to customers.
READ ALSO: Has Germany's fuel tax cut failed?
Nevertheless, ADAC says it's still likely that evening is the best time to fill up tanks - but urged motorists to think carefully about how they get fuel.
"In June, the cards have been reshuffled by the current shifts," said Albrecht, referring to the tax cut which has shaken up the fuel market.
"The periods from 6 to 7pm and from 8 to 10pm will probably remain particularly favourable," he added. "However. In addition, motorists should keep their eyes open and consciously promote competition through their refuelling behaviour. And if you do have to fill up in the morning, smaller quantities are often enough."
The ADAC said its analysis included prices from almost all petrol stations in Germany.
Vocabulary
Fuel - (der) Sprit
To fill up/to refuel - Tanken
Much more expensive - viel teurer
The difference between - der Unterschied zwischen
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