PARIS(National Times)- The price of diesel fuel has rocketed by more than 30 per cent across Europe since the start of the Middle East war highlighting the continent’s dependence on imported energy and the lingering prominence of diesel on the car market.

The Easter holiday weekend across Europe is expected to see a surge in demand with queues at petrol stations.

Diesel has been worse hit than other fuels, and was already under pressure before the war. Experts say its cost will rise further — with a knock-on effect on inflation — as long as trade through the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked.

The per-barrel price of diesel rose above $200 in Europe on Thursday, the highest since March 2022 when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shook markets.

Diesel is ubiquitous in Europe. While electric cars are making inroads in new sales, diesel is still the most widely used fuel. Trucks, farm tractors, buses, building site machinery and even shipping depend on it.

Diesel accounted for 86pc of transport fuel sales in Latvia in 2024, 73pc in France and 66pc in Germany, according to FuelsEurope, a trade body which represents the refining industry.

The international supply-and-demand balance for diesel “was much tighter than the gasoline balance going into the war and the subsequent market response has been one of strong gasoil [diesel] price escalation while gasoline’s price response has been somewhat muted”, Susan Bell, a commodity markets specialist at Rystad Energy, a consultancy, told AFP.

In Britain, France and other countries, the price of diesel has risen more than 30pc since the first US-Israeli air strikes on Iran and resulting choking of the Strait of Hormuz.

In France, the price of regular petrol has gone up by just 17pc.