Festive travel drives petrol sales to 5-month high; diesel demand stays flat in October

Petrol consumption jumped 7% YoY, while diesel defied seasonal trends despite higher travel and logistics movement.

India’s petrol sales hit a five-month high in October, lifted by increased travel during the festive season, even as diesel consumption remained largely flat, according to preliminary industry data cited by ANI.

Petrol consumption rose 7 percent year-on-year to 3.65 million tonnes, up from 3.4 million tonnes in September, as the festival rush boosted demand from private vehicles and two-wheelers across cities and highways.

This marked one of the sharpest month-on-month jumps since May, reflecting the seasonal bump in personal mobility and intercity travel during the Durga Puja–Diwali period.

Diesel defies its usual post-monsoon rebound

In contrast, diesel, which accounts for nearly 40 percent of India’s total fuel basket, showed no festive uptick. Sales stood at 7.6 million tonnes in October, slightly below 7.64 million tonnes in the same month last year.

Historically, diesel demand rebounds after the monsoon season ends in October, as farm irrigation, trucking, and logistics activity picks up. But this year, that trend reversed, ANI reported.

The muted consumption suggests sluggish industrial movement and slower freight activity, despite the festival-led spike in passenger traffic.

Year-on-year trends show petrol outpacing diesel

Data from the Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell (PPAC) under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas revealed that petrol consumption in October 2025 was 16.3 percent higher than in October 2023.

Diesel, on the other hand, saw a marginal decline compared to the 7.63 million tonnes recorded last year.

In the first seven months of the current fiscal year (April–October 2025), petrol demand has grown 6.8 percent to 24.84 million tonnes, while diesel sales are up just 2.45 percent at 53.3 million tonnes, ANI reported.

Jet fuel and LPG continue upward climb

Meanwhile, jet fuel (ATF) consumption continued to rebound, rising 1.6 percent to 769,000 tonnes in October, and up 11.11 percent year-on-year. Since 2019, ATF demand has grown at a 1.65 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR), reflecting a steady recovery in air travel.

LPG sales, too, saw healthy growth, up 5.4 percent to nearly 3 million tonnes, as domestic cooking demand and rural consumption remained strong.

One of the main drivers of LPG growth, ANI reported, was the addition of 25 lakh new households under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). This expansion brought the total number of subsidised connections to 10.58 crore households, up from 10.33 crore earlier.