Fuel issue: manufacturers of car parts and additives warned about price increases
Manufacturers of lubricants for cars are preparing price increases. They sent letters to their partners informing them about the cost indexation starting from April 6 by 5-15%, Izvestia learned. The information is confirmed by the Union of Car Service Stations. Problems with engine oils are associated with a sharp increase in oil prices amid the Middle East conflict, as well as disruptions in logistics chains. Oil products on the stock exchange also rose sharply in the first half of March. What to expect for the market next is in the Izvestia article.
How much can car oils rise in price
The cost of basic engine oils and additives — the key components of car parts — may increase by 5-15% in the next two to three weeks, Ilya Plisov, a member of the board of the Union of Car Services, Deputy General Director of EuroAuto, told Izvestia. According to him, prices directly depend on oil, which has been getting more expensive since the beginning of the conflict in the Middle East.
Izvestia also reviewed the letters from the manufacturers. For example, one of the companies notified its partners about the planned price increase for finished products from April 6 by 5-15%. The decision was explained by the unstable situation in the oil and petroleum products market, which leads to an increase in the cost of base oils and additives.
Izvestia's source in the oil industry notes that the Middle East crisis is leading to an elongation and partial disruptions in supply chains. Additives for motor oils have historically been produced either by several companies in Europe and America, or now in China. Logistical disruptions and inventory shortages at individual manufacturers, he said, further push prices up.
Force majeure in the Middle East affects the cost of additives, but their share in the composition of engine oil is relatively small, the source said. This means that they form only a part of the final price of the product.
At the same time, the industry representative does not expect a multiple increase in the cost of the additives themselves, even taking into account possible disruptions to global supply chains.
"From the point of view of technological sovereignty, it is important to develop and develop a full, 100% production of Russian oils, both base and additives, in the country," the source stressed.
An additive is an additive to fuels, lubricants, or other compounds to improve their performance. In engine oils, they are key functional components that react chemically with the base oil and metal surfaces to create protective layers, neutralize harmful substances, and keep contamination suspended.
The press service of United Petrochemicals (UPEC, specializing in the production of lubricants, technical, cooling and glass washing liquids, and auto chemicals) told Izvestia that a 5-15% increase in prices for base oils and additives due to the situation in the Middle East will affect the cost of motor oils produced in Russia.
Similar dynamics is observed in other segments of the petrochemical industry — in the markets of raw materials for antifreeze, industrial fluids and auto chemicals. According to the company, all suppliers, including the largest domestic oil companies, are closely monitoring the situation and promptly adjusting prices in accordance with fluctuations in global quotations.
How do business representatives react to the rise in prices of raw materials
The Russian economy is part of the global economy, which is currently experiencing rising prices for a wide range of goods, including oil and petroleum products, said Dmitry Gusev, Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Reliable Partner Association. At the same time, he stressed, if participants in the domestic market begin to massively increase prices following global quotations, they may face a reaction from the Federal Antimonopoly Service, which has the right to oblige companies to bring prices to an adequate level.
According to the expert, there are almost always formal reasons for increasing the value of a business. Even if the company does not have a monopoly position, it can revise the prices of its products if it deems it necessary.
— Within the framework of the Civil Code, we do not have regulated prices, especially for oils. The only question is what the market participant refers to and how objective these conditions are," the expert added.
If we are talking about coordinated actions by several suppliers, especially those occupying a significant market share, this may lead to proceedings by the FAS. In turn, the Ministry of Energy may introduce restrictive measures, including a ban on the export of oils, if the situation requires additional regulation.
The cost is also influenced by the prices of petroleum products. They rose sharply on the St. Petersburg Stock Exchange in the first half of March, reaching their highest levels since July 2025. On the eve of the outbreak of the conflict in the Persian Gulf, the cost of AI-92 and AI-95 amounted to 59,263 and 62,677 thousand rubles per 1 ton, and by March 24, their cost increased by about 15.6%, to 68,504 and 72,483 thousand per 1 ton, respectively.
Dmitry Gusev considers the current market situation to be quite natural, since the stock exchange traditionally acts as an indicator of changes in supply and demand. According to him, this is one of the key, but not absolutely objective, mechanisms for evaluating the market, as it is influenced by the human factor. Behavioral reactions of participants, including those based on expectations, rumors, and speculation, can increase price fluctuations. The expert noted that in such conditions, rising prices for some goods often provoke a rise in prices for others, forming a chain reaction in the market.
According to the expert, bidders, observing the rise in world prices, tend to build stocks in advance. This is especially true in anticipation of seasonal demand for both fuel and engine oils. Against the background of the start of the sowing campaign and the rise in oil prices, business representatives stepped up purchases, expecting further price increases from Russian producers.
The expert recalled that, against the background of the rising cost of petroleum products, the St. Petersburg Stock Exchange has reduced by 50 times the maximum allowable step of price increase in one trading session from 0.5% to 0.01% since March 25. By the end of trading on March 26, stock prices for AI-92 and AI-95 had decreased by 2.49% and 1.86%, respectively, from the last peak.
What can the engine oil market expect next
The crisis in the Middle East can really affect the cost of motor oils, since a significant part of manufacturers, including Russian companies, import basic lubricants, including from Qatar, said Artem Berezin, a technical expert at Avtopribor. According to him, they are also produced in South Korea, but the logistics of supplies is largely tied to transport routes through the Strait of Hormuz. If oil formulations are maintained, their cost will be directly affected by the increase in shipping and insurance costs.
The expert identifies two possible scenarios. A stressful conflict presupposes a protracted conflict until the end of 2026: in this case, stocks of base oils and additives in warehouses may be exhausted, which will lead to a noticeable increase in prices for final products.
The optimistic scenario, on the contrary, is associated with a faster settlement of the situation in the Persian Gulf. In this case, the price increase will be smoothed out and probably will not have a significant impact on end consumers.
The expert noted that the impact of the crisis on the Russian market will primarily manifest itself in the peak of price growth. The "soft" scenario assumes a cost increase of about 5% — within the margin of error, while an increase of 15% is already considered negative. Accurate calculations are difficult, since the cost directly depends on how much the global tariffs of carriers and insurance brokers for container transportation will increase: the higher their growth, the more expensive the products will be, explained Artem Berezin.
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