Transportation costs for many UAE motorists are expected to increase in March, with the prices of fuel, except for diesel, rising by up to 1.4%.

Starting March 1, Super 98 will go up by 1.3% to AED 3.09 per litre, while Special 95 and E-Plus will inch up by 1.4% to AED 2.97 and AED 2.90 per litre, respectively, according to the UAE fuel price committee.

However, the price of diesel will drop by 7.1% to AED 3.14 per litre.

Fuel prices in the UAE had previously gone up in February by up to 10%.

Global oil prices went up on Tuesday on expectations that demand in China, the world’s biggest economy, will recover.

Brent crude rose by 0.48% to $79.35 per barrel on Tuesday. Brent spot price is forecast to average $85 per barrel in the first half of 2023, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Brent prices recently increased partly due to expectations of rising oil demand as a result of easing COVID-19 restrictions and increasing mobility in China.

“Perceptions of a less severe recession and some improving macroeconomic conditions also likely contributed to rising crude oil prices,” EIA said in a report early this month.

New oil prices for March 2023 (in AED per litre)