christian garcia
January 31, 2023
Refueling with companies such as Plenoil, Petroprix or Ballenoil can help you save up to 320 euros a year, according to the OCU.
Surely you have seen -or even already tried- gas stations such as those signed by Petroprix or Plenoil, among many other hydrocarbon suppliers that opt for the automatic installation format without operators compared to generalists such as Repsol, BP or Cepsa. Its operation is very simple, it is enough to choose the fuel that we want to refuel and pay, either with a credit card or with cash; and its main advantage is increasingly known by more users: the economic savings.
Why does diesel rise faster than gasoline?
The incessant rise in the price of fuels has triggered the use of these automated gas stations that already reach almost 1,300 points throughout the country, with Catalonia, the Valencian Community and Madrid being the communities where more of these stations exist. Also, the removal of barriers contrary to free competition carried out in the different Spanish territories has contributed since 2020 to a growth that continues to increase strongly. Even so, Spain is still very far from the figures found in countries like Denmark or Finland, where they exceed 60% of the total.
Low cost vs. generalists: up to 20 cents/liter of difference
As we say, this new trend has nothing to do with anything other than the pocket, because yes, the price difference compared to the most expensive gas stations, it is close to 10%. So much so, that the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) ensures that this type of facility can save families and SMEs up to 320 euros per year.
The rise of automated gas stations coincides with the times when the future of fuels seems to be getting more difficult, especially diesel. Without going any further, on February 5 the prohibition of European countries to import diesel. Both Repsol and Cepsa -the two large oil companies that operate in Spain- assure that we will not have supply problems here, but what nobody -not even the Government- is capable of promising is that its price will continue to rise…
