France diesel prices drive use of cooking oil and LPG

High diesel prices in France are driving some motorists to use filtered, used cooking oil as an alternative fuel. This practice is primarily limited to older diesel engines with indirect injection, such as certain Mercedes or Peugeot models from the 1980s and 1990s, as modern direct injection systems are less compatible with the viscous oil.

Adopters use a rudimentary process of letting the oil decant to remove residues before filtering it through a micron filter. The mixture ratio varies by season, with users employing as little as 10% to 20% in winter and up to 90% in summer. While some associations, such as ‘Roule ma frite’, advocate for the local recycling of restaurant oil into fuel, the practice remains legally problematic in France due to a lack of implementing decrees for the 2023 finance law.

Separately, the economic benefits of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) continue to be highlighted in the automotive market. Models like the Dacia Jogger and Sandero Stepway Eco-G demonstrate significant cost savings per kilometer compared to traditional thermal or hybrid vehicles, offering high autonomy and lower fuel costs for consumers.