A full tank of petrol cannot cost more than 1.99 euros per litre, while a full tank of diesel cannot exceed 2.19 euros. Eni has decided to put a cap on the prices of fuel distributed through its Enilive network, intervening directly on the cost at the pump at a time when refueling has become an increasingly burdensome problem for the budgets of Italian families and businesses. This is not a discount that is the same for everyone, nor a measure that will force other distributors to lower their price lists, but a maximum limit that the energy group will apply to its network, with the declared aim of containing the effects of international price increases and preventing petrol and diesel from exceeding certain price thresholds.
The decision comes as the tax discount on diesel is being scaled back and the government is looking for new solutions to combat the high cost of fuel, including through discussions with refining companies. For motorists, however, the question is above all one: understanding where and how much you can actually save, because the ceiling announced by Eni does not mean that each liter of petrol will necessarily cost 1.99 euros, but that in the stations affected by the initiative the price must not exceed that figure.
When will the price cap kick in and how long will it last?
The new limit will come into force on Monday 28 September and will have an initial duration of 30 days, with the possibility of being extended until the end of the year. Any extension will depend on the performance of the international market, the availability of fuels and supply conditions, elements that Eni will continue to monitor to evaluate the sustainability of the initiative.
The cap concerns the Enilive network, which has over 4,000 service stations in Italy, including those that still display the traditional Eni brand and which have not completed the transition to the group’s new commercial identity.
For motorists it will not be necessary to request a bonus, submit an application or use a particular loyalty card: the limit will be applied directly to the prices of the fuels concerned at the network distributors. However, it remains important to verify the price actually displayed at the pump, distinguishing between the different delivery methods and checking any conditions applied to individual services.
How much do you really save with a full tank of petrol or diesel
The difference compared to the average prices recorded on the national road network allows us to understand what the economic benefit could be for motorists. According to data from the Fuel Observatory of the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy, the average price of petrol in self-service mode stands at 2.154 euros per litre, while that of diesel reaches 2.338 euros.
With the cap announced by Eni, the difference compared to these averages is 16.4 cents per liter for petrol and 14.8 cents for diesel, a saving that becomes particularly significant when the overall cost of a refueling is considered.
For a motorist who has to fill a 50-litre tank, the theoretical maximum cost of a full tank of petrol will be 99.50 euros, compared to 107.70 euros calculated using the national average price before the application of the cap, with a difference of 8.20 euros. In the case of diesel, however, refueling will cost a maximum of 109.50 euros, compared to the 116.90 euros corresponding to the national average, with a saving of 7.40 euros.
This is naturally an indicative comparison, because the actual benefit will depend on the price charged by the distributor where the refueling would have been carried out and on market conditions. Those who already find petrol or diesel at a lower price than the announced ceiling will not necessarily have an economic advantage by choosing an Enilive station, while those who regularly use more expensive distributors will be able to obtain greater savings.
The cap, in other words, represents a protection against higher prices, not a guarantee that any refueling at an Eni distributor will automatically be cheaper than that carried out at another company.
Excise duty on diesel, the discount is halved: because diesel risks costing more
Eni’s decision coincides with a change to the tax relief system applied to diesel, which risks directly impacting the cost of refueling for millions of motorists, hauliers and companies that use diesel-powered vehicles.
From 26 September the discount on diesel excise duties will go from 12.2 to 6.1 cents per litre, also considering VAT, with a reduction in the tax benefit of 6.1 cents for each liter purchased. The new measure will remain in force until October 5, while the government has planned further interventions through the mobile excise duty mechanism.
For a 50-litre tank, halving the discount is equivalent to a potential increase in the tax component of 3.05 euros, assuming that the change is transferred entirely to the final price. However, the actual cost at the pump will also depend on the international prices of refined products and the commercial decisions of individual operators.
It is precisely in this context that the cap announced by Eni takes on particular importance, because it introduces a maximum limit to the price of diesel in the Enilive network while one of the tax breaks used to contain price increases is reduced. The company specified that the price cap is linked to the excise duty reduction system in force and that its possible continuation will also be evaluated based on market developments.
The difference between petrol and diesel, however, remains evident even in the new limits announced: diesel may cost up to 20 cents per liter more than petrol, a situation that weighs especially on consumers and companies that use diesel for long distances.
Because Eni has decided to freeze fuel prices
In the communication announcing the initiative, Eni attributed the increase in fuel prices to the contraction in the international supply of refined products, linked to the ongoing geopolitical crises, and to the reduction in European refining capacity, underlining how the closure of almost 30 refineries in the space of fifteen years has contributed to making the market more vulnerable to supply difficulties.
According to the company, the increase in international prices has reached particularly burdensome levels for Italian families and businesses, making it necessary to directly intervene on the prices charged by its commercial network.
Eni presents the cap as a contribution of solidarity to the country and consumers, which is added to the commercial policy through which the group claims to have only partially transferred the increases recorded on international markets to its recommended prices, absorbing part of them.
The initiative is also part of the industrial strategy of the group, involved in the management of the biorefineries in Venice and Gela and in the transformation of the Livorno site, with investments aimed at developing products with a lower environmental impact and maintaining production capacity on the national territory.
The government thanks Eni and summons the refineries: a solution to the high fuel prices is being sought
The announcement was welcomed favorably by Palazzo Chigi, who expressed his thanks to Eni, defining the introduction of the roof as an initiative aimed at containing the impact of high fuel prices on Italian families in an international context characterized by strong tensions on energy markets.
The energy group’s intervention comes as the government seeks to identify further tools to increase the availability of refined products and contain fluctuations in prices at the pump, through direct comparison with sector operators.
The Minister of Business and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, and the Minister of the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, have called together the companies involved in the refining and production of petroleum-derived products for 8 October, with the aim of evaluating whether and to what extent national plants can increase production.
The declared intention is to strengthen the availability of fuels on the Italian market and mitigate the consequences of international supply difficulties, intervening on one of the elements that contribute to the formation of the final price.
Consumer associations: now other companies should also lower their prices
Eni’s choice has also received a favorable reception from consumer associations, who consider the price cap a possible tool to contain the growth of costs at the pump and hope that other oil companies will adopt similar measures.
Massimiliano Dona, president of the National Consumers Union, expressed appreciation for the initiative, while hypothesizing that the group’s decision could also be linked to the debate on the possible taxation of extra profits from energy companies. This is an evaluation of the association and not a motivation declared by Eni.
For consumers, the advice remains to compare the prices actually charged by distributors before refueling, also using the fuel price monitor of the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy.
The service allows you to check the prices communicated by the managers of individual service stations, identify the systems present in the area and compare the cost of fuel in the different delivery methods.
Petrol and diesel, will the Eni cap be enough to stop the increases?
The limit announced by Eni represents an intervention limited to its commercial network and not a generalized reduction in fuel prices on the Italian market. The other companies will continue to independently determine their price lists, while the actual price of petrol and diesel will depend on the evolution of international prices, supply conditions, taxation and competition between operators.
The possibility that other companies decide to introduce similar initiatives remains open, but cannot be considered an automatic consequence of Eni’s choice, just as it is not guaranteed that the cap will be maintained until the end of the year.
For motorists, meanwhile, the news is concrete: in Enilive stations the maximum price will drop below the threshold of two euros for petrol and will stop at 2.19 euros for diesel, with a benefit that could become particularly significant for those who use the car every day or travel many kilometers for work.
The real test, however, will be the price trend of the entire market, because a limit applied by a single operator can lighten the cost of refueling for its customers, but does not eliminate the international causes of price increases nor the effects of tax changes on the final price of fuel.
