Petrol at €1.99 a litre in Italy: where drivers can find the capped price

Motorists travelling in Italy are beginning to find cheaper fuel at some filling stations after three of the country’s major operators responded to government pressure to contain petrol and diesel prices.

Eni was the first large operator to introduce a cap. From 28 September 2026, fuel sold through its Enilive network is capped at €1.99 per litre for petrol and €2.19 per litre for diesel.

The measure is initially due to remain in place for 30 days. Importantly for people travelling around Italy, the cap also applies to Enilive stations on the country’s motorway network, where fuel is generally more expensive than at filling stations on ordinary roads.

IP follows with the same prices

IP has followed Eni by setting the same maximum prices: €1.99 per litre for petrol and €2.19 for diesel.

The rollout, however, is different. IP began on 28 September with around 300 of its approximately 3,400 filling stations, with the measure due to be progressively extended according to local market conditions.

Drivers should therefore not assume that every IP station is already offering fuel at the capped price. The price displayed at the individual filling station remains the figure to check before filling up.

IP has been controlled since 2025 by SOCAR, Azerbaijan’s state energy company.

Q8 joins from 1 October

Q8 will become the third major operator to introduce a temporary price cap.

The Kuwaiti-owned company said the measure will begin on 1 October and remain in place for 30 days, covering both petrol and diesel.

Unlike Eni and IP, however, Q8 has not yet announced a single nationwide maximum price. The company has said it will use a modular approach, meaning the ceiling may vary according to the type or location of the filling station.

Motorists should therefore not assume that Q8 will automatically offer petrol at €1.99 and diesel at €2.19 from 1 October. The company is expected to provide further details on how its system will operate.

Why are Italy’s fuel companies cutting prices?

The sequence of announcements comes amid pressure from the Italian government on major fuel companies to help contain the cost of petrol and diesel without introducing a compulsory nationwide price ceiling.

Eni has particularly close ties to the Italian state. Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance directly and indirectly controls 33.09% of the company, with most of that stake held through state-controlled Cassa Depositi e Prestiti.

The government has also publicly encouraged fuel companies to intervene. After Eni announced its cap, the Prime Minister’s office said the decision was in line with the government’s efforts to contain rising fuel costs.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has also said that he personally raised the issue with SOCAR, the owner of IP, asking the company to take action on fuel prices.

The measures can therefore be understood in the context of government moral suasion rather than a price cap imposed by law: the government has encouraged the main operators to reduce or limit prices, while individual companies remain responsible for deciding whether to participate and how their schemes operate.

Q8’s decision to join Eni and IP from 1 October extends that voluntary response to another major part of Italy’s filling-station market.

What the €1.99 price means for drivers

The most important point for visitors is that €1.99 is not a new national price for petrol in Italy.

There is no general rule requiring every filling station to sell petrol at €1.99 or diesel at €2.19. The caps are commercial measures introduced by individual operators, and their coverage differs.

For a driver filling a 50-litre tank at €1.99 per litre, a full tank of petrol would cost €99.50. At €2.19, 50 litres of diesel would cost €109.50.

The saving can become more significant on long journeys, particularly compared with filling stations charging substantially more than €2 per litre.

Motorway drivers should pay particular attention

The measures may be especially relevant for tourists and other motorists travelling between Italian cities by motorway.

Motorway service stations have traditionally charged higher prices than many filling stations in towns or close to motorway exits. Eni’s decision to include its Enilive motorway stations therefore gives drivers another option when deciding where to refuel during a long journey.

It can still be worth comparing prices before stopping, however, particularly because competing filling stations are not required to match Eni’s cap.

There is another important detail for foreign drivers: Italian filling stations often display separate prices for self-serviceand servito, where an attendant fills the vehicle.

Served fuel can be considerably more expensive. Visitors looking for the lowest advertised price should check that they are using the self-service pumps and read the prices displayed at the station before refuelling.

How to find cheaper petrol in Italy

Drivers can compare prices using Osservaprezzi Carburanti, the official fuel-price database operated by Italy’s Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy.

Filling stations are required to report their prices, allowing motorists to search by location and compare nearby petrol and diesel prices before deciding where to stop.

For people driving towards Florence, around Tuscany or elsewhere in Italy, checking the database before entering a motorway service area can be particularly useful.

The situation is also likely to evolve during October. Eni’s €1.99 petrol and €2.19 diesel ceilings are already in effect, IP is progressively extending its scheme, and Q8 will enter the picture from 1 October.

For motorists, the basic rule is therefore simple: €1.99 petrol is now available at parts of Italy’s filling-station network, but it is not guaranteed everywhere. Check the operator, the individual station and whether the displayed price is for self-service before filling up.

(Cover photo based on an original by joepitu/Pixabay, modified using AI)

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