German refinery production of petrol and diesel increased in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier, according to figures published on 1 October by the Federal Statistical Office, Destatis. Refineries produced 11 million tonnes of motor petrol, a category that includes aviation petrol. That was 1.8% more than the 10.8 million tonnes recorded in H1 2025. Production of diesel fuel for road and rail vehicles reached 15.8 million tonnes, up 9.4% from 14.4 million tonnes in the same period a year earlier. Production volumes are physical quantities and should be kept distinct from values and foreign-trade measures.

Import volumes moved in the opposite direction, the release said. Germany imported 525,000 tonnes of motor petrol excluding aviation petrol in January–June 2026, 23.0% below the 682,000 tonnes recorded in the same months of 2025. Imports of diesel fuel, classified by Destatis as gas oil, fell to 858,000 tonnes. The previous first-half figure was 1.12 million tonnes, making the reported annual decline 23.9%. Higher domestic output alongside lower imports does not by itself prove that domestic supply was sufficient in every circumstance or that consumption changed by the same amount. The release does not combine production, imports and consumption into one balance.

The production and trade categories do not have identical coverage. The production statistics cover establishments in the manufacturing sector with at least 20 employees. Motor petrol production includes aviation petrol, while Destatis’s reported import and export quantities exclude it. Diesel production covers fuel for road and rail vehicles, whereas the relevant import customs category identifies gas oils containing biodiesel. It would therefore be incorrect to add the two series together or treat their difference as direct domestic consumption. The period, product definition and statistical framework need to remain attached to each comparison.

Trade data also give a separate measure of the countries of origin and dispatch. In H1 2026, the Netherlands supplied 52.1% of Germany’s imported motor petrol, or 274,000 tonnes. Czech refineries supplied 137,000 tonnes, equal to 26.1%, and Austria supplied 63,000 tonnes, or 11.9%. Belgium was the largest origin for imported diesel, with 473,000 tonnes and a 55.1% share. The Netherlands supplied a further 340,000 tonnes, or 39.7%. These shares apply only to the products and reference period defined in the release; they are not ratios for all petroleum products or for overall energy dependence.

Destatis also reported that Germany exported more fuel by volume than it imported in the first half, for both categories discussed. Motor petrol exports excluding aviation petrol totalled 1.66 million tonnes, down 3.5% from 1.72 million tonnes in H1 2025. Diesel exports, classified as gas oil, reached 2.06 million tonnes, 18.7% above the 1.74 million tonnes exported in the previous first half. These figures describe cross-border merchandise movements. Without separate information on re-exports, inventory changes, product conversion or domestic use, a net export difference is not a complete production-and-consumption balance.

The product classification for production changed in 2026. Destatis notes that different GP codes were used for production in 2025 and 2026, while stating that the codes are comparable in content. For foreign trade, two customs codes were combined for motor petrol; diesel figures use the gas-oil code covering products containing biodiesel and meeting a specified low-sulphur definition. The value series published by the office can also move differently from physical volumes: production volume and production value, or import quantity and import value, are not interchangeable indicators. This report therefore does not infer prices or refining margins from tonnage alone.

The comparison in this article is between the first six months of 2026 and the same six-month period of 2025, using official Destatis production and foreign-trade statistics. The figures are observed data for a past reference period rather than forecasts, although the measurement and classification notes for that period still apply. They do not by themselves measure retail fuel prices, filling-station sales, refinery capacity use or Germany’s energy security. Readers should treat production growth, lower imports and export movements as separate indicators. Broader conclusions require additional information on demand, inventories and prices.