Daily petrol consumption fell about 6 percent after the three tier pricing plan, and annual consumption growth reached zero

Data from the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company, published in the early hours of Sunday, 2 August 2026 (11 Mordad 1405), show that average daily petrol consumption has fallen since the three tier pricing measure took effect in Azar 1404 (December 2025). Average consumption ran at 131 million litres a day from the start of the Iranian year 1404 to 22 Azar, and fell to 123.7 million litres a day between 22 Azar and 29 Esfand 1404, a decline of about 6 percent between the periods before and after implementation.

A comparison with earlier years shows consumption growth coming to a halt. Over the same 22 Azar to 29 Esfand window, average consumption was about 109 million litres a day in 1401, rose 6 percent to 116 million litres in 1402 and a further 7 percent to 124 million litres in 1403, but stayed at that same 124 million litre level in 1404. The company noted that consumption rose on some days during the final 20 days of Esfand because of increased travel.

According to the same report, the share of personal cards in daily refuelling rose from 57 percent before the plan to 74 percent, while the share of stations' open access cards fell from 43 percent to 26 percent. The volume of quota allocated to fuel cards fell from 172 million litres a day before the measure to 165 million, and then to 135 million litres a day after the second phase of the reform; the stated policy target is to bring that figure to 115 million litres a day. The three tier structure consists of a first quota at 1,500 tomans, a second quota at 3,000 tomans and a third rate at 5,000 tomans per litre.