Fuel costs are once again dominating headlines in Italy, with petrol prices at some stations in Milan and on key motorway routes surpassing €2.60 per litre. The spike has triggered sharp criticism from opposition parties and consumer associations, who warn that households and businesses are bearing the brunt of rising energy costs.
On Saturday, a filling station in central Milan recorded a price of €2.60 per litre for petrol. On the A21 Turin-Piacenza, A4 Venice-Trieste, A22 Brenner-Modena, and the Milan-Brescia and Messina-Palermo motorways, prices exceeded €2.70 per litre for diesel and €2.50 per litre for petrol, according to local reports. In Rome, several stations were charging around €2.30 per litre for petrol.
The increases come after the government allowed a temporary cut in excise duties to expire on 3 July. That measure had been introduced during the earlier price crisis linked to the US-Iran conflict. The Ministry for Business and Made in Italy, led by Adolfo Urso, reported that average self-service prices on the national road network stood at €1.981 per litre for petrol and €2.184 per litre for diesel, while on motorways the averages were €2.071 and €2.255 respectively. But actual pump prices are often significantly higher.
Consumer groups sound the alarm
Consumer organisation Codacons estimates that Italians will spend €10.8 billion on fuel this year, nearly €2 billion more than in 2025. “The comparison with last year is merciless: with consumption unchanged and taking into account the average monthly price of fuels in July 2025, by the end of the month Italians will spend an impressive €841 million more solely on purchases of petrol and diesel than in the same period in 2025,” the group said in a statement.
The research office of the Cgia di Mestre has projected that in 2026, households and businesses will face almost €29 billion in additional costs for electricity, gas and fuels. Petrol and diesel alone account for €13.6 billion of that increase, a rise of 20.4% compared with 2025.
Government weighs variable excise duty
In response, the Meloni government is examining a variable excise duty mechanism that would allow fuel prices to fall when higher VAT revenues are collected due to rising prices. Minister Urso told Corriere della Sera that the system requires the Economy Ministry to calculate the month's surplus VAT revenue, which will only be available next week. “The surplus VAT takings could be used to offset a reduction in excise duty, while any further measures would require additional funding,” he said.
Urso defended the government's record, arguing that Italy's price control model is being emulated by other countries and that fuel prices in Italy have risen less than elsewhere. However, opposition leaders are unconvinced.
Democratic Party secretary Elly Schlein called on the government to adopt her party's proposal for variable excise duties. “Meloni should now at least accept our proposal on variable excise duties, which would allow the price of petrol and diesel to be cut immediately. After all, those who once promised to abolish excise duties altogether, how can they now oppose this measure?” she said.
Five Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte went further, demanding a broader strategy. “What we need here are serious measures, and we must act fast and invest to protect families and businesses: when will we start drawing resources from the windfall profits of banks, energy giants and the arms industry? When from the state's extra takings generated by the various price hikes and by the crazy spending on rearmament? When will we go to Europe and demand massive investment in an industrial and energy relaunch strategy, as we did during the pandemic with the NRRP? The country needs to be lifted up again and citizens need some breathing space. Enough with the whistling,” he wrote on social media.
The debate comes amid broader concerns about Italy's energy costs and their impact on competitiveness. The country has long struggled with high fuel taxes, and the current crisis is reigniting calls for structural reform. As the government deliberates, consumers and businesses are left waiting for relief that may not come quickly.
