Honduras Diesel Price Frozen for 30 Days at US$5.72 as Petrol Rises
HONDURAS · ENERGY
Key Facts
- —The country Honduras, a Central American country of about 10 million people, imports all its fuel, so world oil prices reach its pumps fast.
- —The background Pump prices have risen for 12 weeks in a row, and bus and lorry drivers have pressed Congress for tax relief.
- —Why now Another rise was due on Monday, so on Saturday 3 October the energy ministry stepped in for diesel.
- —What happened For 30 days from 5 October the state absorbs L12.01 (US$0.45) of every gallon of diesel, a road levy.
- —The numbers Diesel stays at L153.53 (US$5.72) a gallon in Tegucigalpa, while premium petrol rises to L156.61 (US$5.83).
- —What it means for you Buses, lorries and farm machinery run on diesel, so the freeze aims to shield fares and food prices, while petrol drivers pay more.
- —Still open What the 30 days will cost the treasury, and whether the diesel price can stay flat if world prices keep climbing.
Honduras will keep its diesel price unchanged for 30 days from Monday 5 October 2026, while petrol and kerosene rise again. The government will absorb a road levy of L12.01 (US$0.45) on every gallon of diesel.
Energy Secretary Eduardo Oviedo announced the measure on Saturday 3 October, the news agency EFE reported. He said it aimed “to reduce the impact of international fuel increases on the economy of Hondurans”.
What the Government Announced
“During this period, the government will assume twelve lempiras for each gallon of diesel,” Oviedo said, according to EFE. The energy ministry, known as SEN, published the details the same day.
The money covers the ACPV, a fixed levy on each gallon of fuel that funds social programmes and road maintenance. On diesel it equals US$0.4466 a gallon, or about L12, the daily La Prensa reported.
Instead of passing that levy on at the pump, the state will now pay it out of the budget. The ministry said the aim is to protect public and freight transport, food distribution and farming.
That is why the diesel price, rather than petrol, gets the help. Diesel moves the buses, lorries and tractors whose costs feed into fares and food prices.
The New Pump Prices From Monday
In Tegucigalpa, the capital, diesel stays at L153.53 (US$5.72) a gallon, the same as last week. Premium petrol rises by L3.44 (US$0.13) to L156.61 (US$5.83), El Heraldo and Radio HRN reported.
Regular petrol rises by L2.66 (US$0.10) to L137.92 (US$5.14), and kerosene by L5.03 (US$0.19) to L143.42 (US$5.34). A 25-pound cylinder of household gas stays at L249.62 (US$9.30).
San Pedro Sula, the northern industrial city, pays slightly less. Premium costs L152.00 (US$5.66) there, regular L133.55 (US$4.97) and diesel just over L149 (US$5.55).
Radio HRN counts 12 consecutive weeks of increases. The government still absorbs 70 percent of the weekly rise on regular petrol during October, La Prensa reported.
US$ figures use 26.85 lempiras to the dollar, the market rate on 4 October 2026. Honduras sells fuel by the US gallon, about 3.8 litres.
Why the Pressure Built
The energy ministry sets maximum pump prices every week, and they have climbed since the summer. The list of 28 September had already raised diesel by L2.43 (US$0.09), as reported on 27 September.
Bus and freight operators want fuel taxes removed for the rest of 2026. Talks in Congress on 30 September ended without a deal, as reported on 1 October.
Residents in the north have also blocked roads over fuel costs. Without the measure, the rise due on Monday “was going to be quite large”, engineer Fernando Lobo told La Prensa.
The Cost and the Catch
The ministry did not say what the 30-day diesel price freeze will cost. Finance Minister Emilio Hernández Hércules told La Prensa the government must look within its “contingency lines” in the budget.
The levy is a real source of revenue. In 2024 the ACPV raised L12,014.8 million (about US$448 million) across all fuels, La Prensa reported.
Existing fuel support had cost more than L1.3 billion (about US$48 million) this year, against L650 million (about US$24 million) budgeted. That gap was reported on 2 October, and every new month of relief widens it.
What It Means for Drivers and Travellers
Filling a 15-gallon tank with regular petrol in Tegucigalpa now costs about L2,069 (US$77). The same tank of diesel costs about L2,303 (US$86), with the state paying L180 (US$6.71) of it.
The new prices arrive as the Morazán Week holiday begins, when many Hondurans travel. Public employees are off from 5 to 9 October, the government said.
What Comes Next
The measure runs for 30 days from 5 October, which takes it into early November. The energy ministry will keep publishing a new price list every weekend.
After that the government may extend it, change it, switch to targeted support or let the diesel price move again, La Prensa reported. No decision has been announced.
The freeze does not make diesel cheaper, and it does not stop rises in petrol. It aims to buy a month of stability for transport and food, paid for by the treasury.
More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Why did Honduras freeze the diesel price?
Diesel powers buses, lorries and farm machinery, so its cost feeds into fares and food. The government will absorb a levy of L12.01 (US$0.45) a gallon for 30 days to stop another rise.
How much does fuel cost in Honduras now?
From 5 October diesel costs L153.53 (US$5.72) a gallon in Tegucigalpa. Regular petrol costs L137.92 (US$5.14) and premium L156.61 (US$5.83).
What is the ACPV in Honduras?
It is a fixed charge on every gallon of fuel that funds social programmes and road maintenance. On diesel it is worth about L12 (US$0.45) a gallon.
Will the diesel price stay frozen after 30 days?
That is not decided. The government could extend or change the support, or let the diesel price follow world markets again.
Sources: EFE via Diario El Mundo, 3 October 2026; La Prensa, 3 October 2026; La Prensa, 3 October 2026; El Heraldo, 3 October 2026; Radio HRN, 3 October 2026; Infobae, 3 October 2026; Infobae (Morazán Week holiday), 1 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
LatAm Markets: Live Signals → — real-time movers, turnover leaders and FX across Latin America.