Motorists pulling into filling stations in central Casablanca on Wednesday found diesel back above MAD15 a liter—and, unusually, a few centimes dearer than petrol.
A morning check by Le360 found diesel at MAD15.30 a liter at Afriquia and Winxo, while Shell and Petromin Oils were charging MAD15.33. Gasoline was going for MAD15.20 at the first three and MAD15.19 at Petromin.
The new prices followed another increase overnight, with 34 centimes added to diesel and 27 centimes to gasoline.
For diesel, the increases have been adding up. A liter now costs MAD 2.74 more than it did in mid-July.
Wednesday’s prices also turned the usual relationship between the two fuels on its head. Depending on the station, diesel was between 10 and 14 centimes dearer than gasoline.
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Motorists last saw that happen in March 2022, after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine sent international oil prices sharply higher. Diesel was then around MAD14.30 a liter in Casablanca, against roughly MAD14.16 for gasoline.
Those prices still had further to go. By July that year, diesel had reached MAD16.57 a liter, and gasoline was selling above MAD17 at some stations.
There was little to choose between distributors on Wednesday. Three centimes separated the diesel prices seen by Le360, and just one centime separated gasoline.
That narrow spread comes as the Competition Council discusses with distributors the way pump prices are revised. The council has been looking at possible changes to the practice of adjusting prices at the same intervals while taking into account fuel supplies and market stability.
