Romanian Emergency Ordinance 19/2026 active: fuel commercial markups are capped at 2025 average levels during 1 April — 30 June 2026. This is why major networks (MOL, OMV, Lukoil, Socar, Gazprom) display a uniform nationwide price per brand. Real per-station variation remains at Rompetrol and independent stations. See the ordinance (Official Gazette) →

Romanian Fuel Glossary

40+ technical, fiscal and operational terms from the Romanian fuel market, briefly explained without jargon. For journalists, students, professional drivers, or anyone needing a quick reference. Citable through schema.org DefinedTerm for AI assistants.

Fuels and standards

Octane number
Indicator of petrol's resistance to auto-ignition. Standard Romanian petrol is RON 95 or RON 98 Premium. Higher = more stable in high-compression engines.
RON 95
Standard petrol with 95 octane rating. Most common fuel in Romania, compatible with most modern cars.
RON 98 Premium
Premium petrol at 98 octane, sold under brand names: OMV MaxxMotion, Petrom Top Premium, Rompetrol Efix, MOL Evo Plus, Lukoil ECTO. Recommended for high-compression turbo engines.
Standard diesel
EN 590 diesel sold at the pump. Contains 7% biodiesel (B7) in winter, up to 10% (B10) in summer per EU standard.
Premium diesel
Diesel with cleaning additives and higher cetane (51+). Brand: OMV MaxxMotion Diesel, Petrom Top Premium, Rompetrol Efix Diesel, MOL Evo Plus Diesel.
Cetane number
Indicator of diesel auto-ignition. EN 590 standard requires minimum 51. Premium diesel reaches 53–55 — easier cold starts and more efficient combustion.
Auto LPG
Liquefied Petroleum Gas — propane/butane mix used as petrol alternative in cars with dedicated installation. Price 40–50% lower than petrol, ~15% higher consumption.
AdBlue (DEF)
32.5% urea solution injected in Euro 6 diesel SCR systems to reduce NOx emissions. Typical use: 1 L AdBlue per 1,000 km. Sold at pumps (5–10 L canisters) or in bulk.
CNG
Compressed Natural Gas at 200 bar, used in dual-fuel cars and buses. Limited Romanian coverage — a few dozen stations on Petrom and OMV networks.
Kerosene (Jet A-1)
Aviation fuel for jet engines and turboprops. Not sold at public pumps; separate network at airports. Distinct from household kerosene.
Biodiesel (B7, B10)
Diesel blend with fatty-acid methyl ester (FAME) from rapeseed, soy or used cooking oil. B7 = max 7% (winter), B10 = max 10% (summer). All Romanian pump diesel is B7/B10.
Ethanol (E5, E10)
Bioethanol blended into petrol: E5 = max 5% ethanol, E10 = max 10%. EU 2026 mandate: mandatory transition to E10 on the Romanian network.
Low-sulfur
Sulfur content below 10 ppm under EU EN 228 (petrol) and EN 590 (diesel). All EU fuels since 2009 are low-sulfur — required for DPFs and modern catalysts.

Fiscal and pricing

Excise duty
Special consumption tax on fuel, collected at refinery/import before VAT. Romanian rates 2026: unleaded petrol 2.030 RON/L; diesel 1.855 RON/L; auto LPG 0.615 RON/L. Set by the Tax Code.
Fuel VAT
Standard 19% VAT applied on the final fuel price (refinery + excise + commercial markup). VAT-registered companies can deduct 50% VAT on diesel for mixed-use cars.
Commercial markup
Gross margin added by distributor and station above refinery + excise + VAT. Average 0.80–1.20 RON/L. Capped by OUG 19/2026 between 1 April – 30 June 2026.
OUG 19/2026
Romanian Emergency Ordinance No. 19/2026 (Official Gazette 237 of 26 March 2026) caps petrol and diesel commercial markup at 2025 average levels during 1 April – 30 June 2026. Visible effect: nationwide brand-uniform prices.
Brent
European reference index for crude oil, in USD/barrel. All Romanian fuel prices follow Brent with ~10–14 day lag. 1 barrel = 159 litres.
RBOB
Reformulated Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending — petrol futures contract on NYMEX. Used as proxy for pump-price forecasting alongside Brent and Platts.
Platts
S&P Global Platts price assessment agency. Platts Rotterdam ARA petrol/diesel quotes are the European refinery-price benchmark.
Mileage allowance
Per-kilometre payment for employees using personal cars on business. Romania 2026 statutory cap: 0.30 RON/km, tax-free up to 7.5 L/100 km normalized consumption.
Acquisition cost (COSA)
For companies: fuel price net of VAT (or with 50% VAT deducted on mixed-use diesel) enters acquisition cost — total fiscally recognized cost for corporate-tax deductibility.

Institutions and authorities

ANPC
Romanian National Authority for Consumer Protection. Operates the Price Monitor jointly with the Competition Council — the official channel for public fuel price reporting.
Price Monitor (Monitorul Prețurilor)
Official Romanian platform run by the Competition Council and ANPC where networks are legally required to report any price change within 15 minutes. Covers 343 administrative units.
UAT
Administrative-Territorial Unit. Romania has 41 counties + Bucharest + 320 cities + ~2,800 communes — all UATs. The Price Monitor uses UATs as reporting unit.
Competition Council
Romanian autonomous authority overseeing economic competition. Operates the Price Monitor and investigates anticompetitive practices (vertical agreements, abuse of dominance) among fuel networks.
Primary refining
Atmospheric distillation of crude oil into fractions (petrol, kerosene, diesel, fuel oil). Romanian primary refineries: Petromidia (Năvodari, OMV Petrom Group) and Petrobrazi (Brazi).

Technical and engine

DPF
Diesel Particulate Filter for Euro 5/6 diesel engines. Must be regenerated periodically (sustained 60+ km/h with hot engine) or forced at service.
SCR
Selective Catalytic Reduction — NOx reduction system using AdBlue injection. Mandatory on Euro 6 diesels since 2014. SCR failure can put the car in limp mode.
EGR
Exhaust Gas Recirculation — NOx reduction by recirculating part of the exhaust. Present on all modern diesel engines. Frequent failure source (EGR valve coking).
WLTP combined consumption
Manufacturer-declared fuel consumption for the WLTP test cycle (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure), valid since 2018. Closer to real-world than older NEDC.

Market and operators

Fuel card
Card issued by a fuel network or independent issuer (UTA, DKV, Routex), used by companies for centralized billing of fueling, with negotiated rates. See 2026 comparison.
Tank-cargo
Bulk fuel delivery by tanker truck directly to the company site or construction site. Price includes excise and VAT but excludes the station markup. Used by large-fleet companies.
Blender
A station operator that doesn't refine but blends product from different refineries under its own brand. Many independent Romanian stations are blenders — quality varies more than at vertically-integrated networks.
Site rank
Classification of a station by accessibility: large city > medium city > commune > national road > motorway. Influences price: motorway stations are on average 0.30–0.50 RON/L more expensive than urban stations.
Strategic reserves
Mandatory fuel reserves the Romanian state holds for 90 days of consumption per EU Directive 2009/119/EC. Managed by ANRSPS.
Corporate fleet
In B2B, all the cars used by a company for business. Fleets >50 vehicles get negotiated refinery prices (tank-cargo) or partner card rates — on average 8–15% below pump price.
Vignette (rovinietă)
Mandatory Romanian road-use charge for national roads and motorways, managed by CNAIR via the CSNR system. Passenger-car rates: 3.5 EUR/day to 28 EUR/year (2026). See driver utilities.
Bridge toll
One-time charge for crossing certain bridges (Cernavodă-Fetești, Giurgiu-Ruse). Distinct from the vignette. Now frequently paid online or at partner stations.

Glossary updated on 2026-05-11. Missing a term? Send a suggestion to contact@pretcarburant.ro and we'll add it.