Unleaded Petrol clearances were 7.4% higher in the first two months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025 (See Table A).
Excise clearances of Autodiesel in February 2026, at 257 million litres, were 5.1% lower than the February 2025 figure of 271million litres. This was the lowest figure for February Autodiesel clearances since 2021 (See Table 1B).
In the first two months of 2026 Kerosene clearances increased by 5% compared with the same period in 2025 (See Table A).
Marked Gas Oil excise clearances were 4.4% lower in the first two months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025 (See Table A).
An annual Fuel Excise Clearances PxStat Table has been added to this statistical release, see FPA01.
The data used in this release mainly relate to the Revenue Commissioners monthly excise clearance volumes. The use of transport fuels such as Autodiesel and Unleaded Petrol are less seasonal than the use of home heating fuels. Price changes and exceptional weather can cause variations in the trends of excise clearances of home heating oils between years. Changes in the vehicle fleet fuel type composition can affect the mix in clearances of road fuels. See the Background Notes for the full definition of fuel excise clearances.
There was a 3.1% decrease in Autodiesel excise clearances when comparing the 12-month rolling period of March 2025-February 2026 with March 2024-February 2025 (See Table A). There was a 6.3% rise in Unleaded Petrol excise clearances over the same period (See Table A).
| Table A: Excise Clearances Percentage Changes for Selected Fuels February 2026 | ||
| Fuel | Year-to-Date January-February 2026/2025 | 12-Month Rolling Period March-February 2026/2025 |
| Autodiesel | -2.2% | -3.1% |
| Unleaded Petrol | 7.4% | 6.3% |
| Marked Gas Oil | -4.4% | 0.3% |
| Kerosene | 5.0% | 0.0% |
Excise clearances of Unleaded Petrol in the first two months of 2026 were 7.4% higher compared with the same period in 2025. Excise clearances of Unleaded Petrol for February 2026 were the highest volume of Unleaded Petrol clearances recorded for the month of February since 2018. Excise clearances of Autodiesel for February 2026 were the lowest volume of Autodiesel clearances recorded for the month of February since 2021. Kerosene in the first two months of 2026 were 5% higher compared with the same period in 2025 (See Figure 1 and Table A).
In 2025 Autodiesel excise clearances were 3.4 billion litres which was 71.0% higher than the 2000 Autodiesel clearances figure of 2 billion litres. In 2025 Unleaded Petrol excise clearances were 1.1 billion litres which was 42.5% lower than the 2000 Unleaded Petrol clearances figure of 2 billion litres (See Figure 2 and Table 2).
Figure 3 (See below) shows trends in the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for selected fuels. Wholesale prices of Autodiesel, Petrol and Gas oil (other than Autodiesel) were all higher in February 2026 compared with January 2026. This Wholesale Price Index series is compiled to base 2021=100.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (18 May 2026) published Fuel Excise Clearances February 2026.
Commenting on the release, Dr. Robert Stapleton, Statistician in the Climate and Energy Division, said: "Autodiesel and Marked Gas Oil were lower in the first two months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, while Unleaded Petrol and Kerosene were higher (See Table A). Clearances are the duty paid on the quantity of oil removed from bonded warehouses and provide a proxy for sales (See Editor’s Note below).
There was a 3.1% decrease in Autodiesel excise clearances when comparing the 12-month rolling period of March 2025-February 2026 with March 2024-February 2025 (See Table A).
Unleaded Petrol excise clearances rose by 6.3% when comparing the 12-month rolling period of March 2025-February 2026 with March 2024-February 2025 while Marked Gas Oil excise clearances increased by 0.3%. (See Table A).
Kerosene excise clearances at 976 million litres were around the same levels when comparing the 12-month rolling period of March 2025-February 2026 with March 2024-February 2025 (See Table A). Kerosene is mainly used as a home heating fuel.”