The average price of diesel fuel in small wholesale batches in Ukraine decreased to 44.91 UAH/l on Friday, according to the analytical publication NaftoRynok Daily Fuels&LPG on March 14.
Why Is Diesel Fuel Getting Cheaper?
The decline in wholesale diesel prices has continued since the beginning of March, amounting to 1.23 UAH/l (–2.7%) compared to the end of February (46.14 UAH/l). According to NaftoRynok's fuel price monitoring data, particularly Diesel DDP, this is the lowest average level in 2025 since the beginning of the year when the excise tax increased from €177.6/1,000 l to €215.7/1,000 l on January 1.
At the same time, the current price is also lower than last year. On March 14, 2024, with the previous excise tax of €139.5/1,000 l, the price stood at 45.66 UAH/l. As a result, wholesale diesel prices dropped by an average of 0.75 UAH/l (–1.6%) over the year.
More Diesel Supply Than Demand
NaftoRynok highlighted the main reasons for the decline in wholesale diesel prices:
- Decreasing oil prices
- Overestimated expectations by importers regarding diesel consumption due to the war
- An increase in diesel supply in the South in March
According to ICE London Exchange, Brent crude oil futures prices in March 2025 dropped by $14.84/barrel (–17.4%) to $70.58/barrel, compared to $85.42/barrel a year earlier.
Meanwhile, the hryvnia weakened against the US dollar and euro by 7.1% and 6.1%, respectively, with the exchange rate falling to 41.53 UAH/USD and 45.00 UAH/EUR, according to NBU data. As a result, the excise tax per liter increased by 3.78 UAH over the year—from 5.92 UAH/l in 2024 to 9.70 UAH/l in 2025, which ultimately impacted end consumers.
Overall, the price of small wholesale diesel fell by $194/ton (–19.4%) to $804/ton (excluding excise duty and VAT) in 2025, compared to $998/ton a year earlier.
The lowest prices remain in the South. According to NaftoRynok FCA UA-Ports quotes, small wholesale batches (up to 60,000 liters) were sold on March 14, 2025, in the range of 42.40–42.70 UAH/l, with an average of 42.55 UAH/l (including VAT) or 1.28 million UAH per fuel truck (30,000 liters). In mid-March 2024, the average diesel price in Ukrainian ports was 43.60 UAH/l (1.31 million UAH per 30,000 liters), according to Diesel DDP data, with a minimum price of 43.00 UAH/l.
Farmers Can Buy Diesel at Low Prices
With lower diesel prices at the start of the 2025 agricultural season, farmers can save significantly on fuel purchases. For example, a farmer from the Odesa region, planning to use four fuel trucks of diesel in March-April 2025, is saving around 120,000 UAH, or 2.4% less than last year.
The savings can be even greater if farmers have access to up-to-date offers directly from importers and producers, which are available in NaftoRynok’s most popular catalog – Diesel DDP.
