Italy reinstates diesel excise cut of 4.9 cents a litre until 7 November

Italy has brought back its diesel excise duty cut, lowering the rate by about 4 cents a litre, or about 4.9 cents with VAT, from 28 October to 7 November 2026. A decree published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale sets the new rate at 632.90 euros per 1,000 litres.

The measure matters for drivers and hauliers because it returns the government of Giorgia Meloni to fuel-tax intervention after a stop of more than three weeks. The cost is covered by extra VAT revenue, so the taglio accise gasolio does not need new borrowing.

What happened

The decree redetermines the excise on gas oil, or diesel, for the period from 28 October to 7 November 2026. The text says the aim is to offset higher VAT revenue than last forecast, which stems from a rise in the international price of crude oil expressed in euros.

Coverage comes from 38.7 million euros of the extra revenue collected from 1 to 30 September 2026 in periodic VAT payments. That is the accisa mobile mechanism, which turns surplus VAT into lower fuel excise.

• New diesel excise rate: 632.90 euros per 1,000 litres.
• Cut at the pump: about 4 cents a litre, about 4.9 cents including VAT.
• Duration: 11 days, to 7 November 2026.
• Funding: 38.7 million euros of extra September VAT revenue.

Earlier cuts were much larger

The new discount is far smaller than the one applied in the summer. In August the government extended a 17-cent-a-litre diesel cut, first to 26 August through a ministerial decree signed by Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, and then to 5 September.

The extension to 5 September was approved by the Council of Ministers on 26 August and cost about 130 million euros. At that point the rate was 532.90 euros per 1,000 litres, a cut of 14 cents on the excise, or about 17 cents with VAT.

Why it matters

The cut matters because diesel remains expensive for Italian motorists. According to the Mimit price observatory, the average self-service diesel price on the road network on 27 October was 2.261 euros a litre, unchanged from 26 October. On motorways it was 2.302 euros.

Petrol was cheaper, at 2.017 euros a litre on the road network, down a tenth of a cent from the previous day. The new reduction of about 4.9 cents equals roughly 2% of the diesel average, a calculation based on those figures.

What are the risks and limits?

The relief is brief and modest. When the 17-cent cut was extended in August, the consumer group Codacons called it a "colossale presa in giro", a colossal mockery. Funding also depends on extra VAT revenue, which in turn depends on higher oil prices.

What to watch next

The next date is 7 November 2026, when the reduced rate ends. The sources do not say whether the government will renew the measure.

• Daily Mimit price data on diesel, at 2.261 euros a litre on 27 October.
• Any new interministerial decree on accise mobili before 7 November.
• Further VAT receipts that could finance another cut.