Extra, Ecopaís and diesel are slightly cheaper through October 11, while premium gasoline moves in the opposite direction.

Drivers in Ecuador are seeing two very different fuel-price trends this month.

Beginning September 12th, the price of Extra and Ecopaís gasoline fell from $3.24 to $3.21 per gallon, while Premium diesel dropped from $3.18 to $3.15. The new prices remain in effect through October 11th.

The three-cent reduction marks the third consecutive monthly decrease for all three fuels.

Super gasoline, however, moved sharply higher. Petroecuador’s suggested price rose to $4.89 per gallon, reflecting the increase in international oil and refined-fuel prices.

Three months of reductions

Extra, Ecopaís and diesel first moved lower in July, when each dropped by five cents per gallon.

Another two-cent reduction followed in August, and the September adjustment takes another three cents off the price.

That means Extra and Ecopaís have fallen a total of 10 cents per gallon over the past three monthly adjustments. Diesel has followed the same pattern.

For an individual driver, the September savings are modest.

Filling a 12-gallon tank with Extra or Ecopaís costs about $38.52 at the new price, compared with $38.88 in August — a savings of 36 cents.

But fuel prices matter beyond the cost of filling a private vehicle. Diesel and gasoline are major expenses for trucking, agriculture, construction, delivery services and other transportation-dependent businesses. Even small changes can eventually influence the price of goods moved around the country.

Super goes the other way

The story is very different for drivers who use Super.

Petroecuador’s suggested price for the 95-octane gasoline rose to $4.89 per gallon beginning September 12th. Super is not subject to the same price-band mechanism used for Extra and Ecopaís, and its price is liberalized.

Private service stations can therefore set their own prices.

That difference is already visible in Cuenca. El Universo reported that one Primax station in the city was selling Super for about $5.08 per gallon, well above Petroecuador’s suggested price.

At $4.89, filling a 12-gallon tank with Super costs $58.68 — more than $20 above the cost of the same amount of Extra or Ecopaís.

There is one wrinkle in the reported increase. Petroecuador and Primicias described the new $4.89 suggested price as 25 cents above the previous reference of about $4.64, while El Universo reported the previous suggested level as $4.74, which would make the increase 15 cents. The important point for consumers is the current benchmark: $4.89 per gallon before individual stations apply their own pricing.

Oil prices are moving higher

The divergence between Super and the other fuels comes during a period of unusually volatile international oil prices.

On September 10th, West Texas Intermediate crude — an important reference for Ecuador — moved above $100 per barrel as fighting in the Middle East pushed petroleum prices sharply higher.

Normally, rising international prices would place upward pressure on Ecuador’s domestic fuel prices as well.

But the government has repeatedly modified the stabilization mechanism for Extra and Ecopaís. The system continues to use price bands, but now includes an exceptional mechanism intended to soften unusually large international price swings.

That helps explain why Ecuador’s most commonly used gasoline has continued to fall even as international oil prices move higher.

Government promises more reductions

President Daniel Noboa has said that reductions in Extra, Ecopaís and Premium diesel could continue gradually through December despite international volatility.

Whether that remains possible will depend in part on what happens to global oil and fuel markets.

For consumers, the September adjustment provides a small amount of relief at the pump — unless they drive a vehicle that requires Super.

The larger story is the widening gap between regulated and market-priced gasoline. A gallon of Extra or Ecopaís now costs $3.21. The suggested price of Super is $4.89, and some Cuenca stations are charging more than $5.

The next nationwide adjustment for Extra, Ecopaís and Premium diesel is due October 12th.