San Marino fuel prices drive surge in cross-border motoring

Fuel prices in San Marino have triggered a surge in 'petro-tourism' as motorists from Italy cross the border to take advantage of significantly lower costs. At Eni stations in San Marino, diesel is priced at 1.99 euros per liter, notably lower than the Italian average which has recently seen diesel prices around 2.36 euros on roads and up to 2.44 euros on motorways.

The price gap is maintained by extraordinary measures from the San Marino government, which were recently extended until October 31. These measures include a 10-cent reduction in special taxes on gasoline and diesel, as well as support through the SMaC Card, which provides a 20-cent per liter refund. For SMaC Card holders, the effective cost of diesel can drop to 1.79 euros per liter.

In Italy, Eni has implemented a price cap to curb rising costs, setting a maximum of 2.19 euros per liter for self-service diesel and 1.99 euros for self-service gasoline. Despite this cap, Italian prices remain higher than those in San Marino, leading to long queues and motorists bringing canisters to maximize their savings.