On Thursday 1 September, Luxembourg will drop its fuel discount. On the same day, France will increase its discount from 18 to 30 cents. But will this be enough to trigger "fuel tourism" towards France?

This 1 September does not bode well for Luxembourg and its 240 petrol stations.

While the Grand Duchy will abandon its 7.5 cent discount on fuel (a measure that is anything but undisputed), France will increase its discount from 18 to 30 cents. In short, France will reclaim a 19.5 cent advantage on the prices displayed at the pump. A substantial amount that could make all the difference.

In addition, France will also become more appealing compared to Luxembourg's other neighbours, since Belgium will keep its discount of 17.5 centimes until the end of the year, while Germany will also abandon its discount on 1 September (30 cents per litre of petrol, and 14 cents for diesel).

'Fuel tourism' towards France?

History is set to repeat itself for Luxembourg's petrol stations, as it did last June when filling up became more enticing on the French side of the border.

"Fuel will clearly be cheaper in France than here in Luxembourg. It is certain that Luxembourg's residents will go to Lorraine to fill up their tanks," predicted the president of the Luxembourg Energy and Mobility Group a few days ago.

But will there be that many? Because unlike the many French cross-border workers who fill up in Luxembourg when they come to work there, traffic from Luxembourg to France is much more marginal. The price difference will therefore have to be sufficient to motivate the Grand Duchy's residents to cross the border.

Some petrol stations already cheaper in Lorraine

Looking at the prices on Wednesday, our colleagues from RTL 5 Minutes found that some French service stations are already charging prices that are comparable to or lower than those in Luxembourg. Diesel, for example, is currently sold at €1.90 per litre in Luxembourg and can be found at €1.92/litre in Guénange or €2.009/litre in Metz (and, if you are willing to travel a little further, even at €1.882 euro/litre in Dieuze!). In short, all the stars seem to align for Lorraine to become the new Eldorado for black gold seekers in the Greater Region.

However, it should be noted that the situation in France will be short-lived, as the French discount is limited in time and will be reduced to 10 cents in November. French petrol stations can also display a wide range of prices (unlike in Luxembourg, where stations are aligned with the maximum fuel prices).

As a result, it is critical to determine which stations are the most affordable. For this, the safest and most reliable site, because it is official, is prix-carburants.gouv.fr, which updates every ten minutes.