Nayara Energy and Shell lost market share in April after increasing fuel prices amid rising crude costs, while Reliance BP Mobility Limited reported stronger sales growth during the period, as per news reports.
The shift in market share came after private retailers raised petrol and diesel prices following the Iran conflict, while state-run oil marketing companies initially chose to absorb higher input costs without immediately revising pump prices.
Nayara Energy witnessed a steep decline in fuel sales during April, with petrol volumes falling 30% and diesel sales dropping 46%.
The decline reduced Nayara’s petrol market share to 4% from nearly 6% a year earlier, while diesel share slipped to 3%.
Shell also saw significant pressure in diesel sales, which fell 77% during the month. Its diesel market share dropped sharply to 0.07% from 0.3%. The company’s petrol sales rose 4%, although its market share in the segment edged lower to around 0.5%.
Unlike several other private fuel retailers, Reliance BP Mobility posted higher sales growth during the month.
Petrol sales at the company increased 23%, while diesel volumes rose 4.5%. The growth helped the company increase its petrol market share to 4% from 3.5%, while diesel market share remained stable at around 5.3%.
Industry executives said consumers increasingly shifted toward state-run pumps after private retailers raised prices more aggressively.
The sudden migration in demand reportedly created operational pressure in certain local markets where private retailers maintain a meaningful regional presence despite holding smaller national market shares.
According to executives at state-run oil companies, the demand surge at public-sector outlets contributed to supply pressure, longer queues and temporary shortages at some fuel stations.
Industrial buyers also reportedly reduced purchases of bulk diesel because of elevated pricing.
Bulk diesel prices currently remain around ₹45 per litre higher than retail diesel rates.
State-run oil companies had increased bulk diesel prices shortly after the Iran conflict began, leading to a sharp drop in demand from industrial consumers.
Before the conflict, bulk diesel accounted for nearly 12% of the country’s total diesel consumption. Since then, bulk diesel sales have reportedly declined by 30% to 40%.
Although state-run retailers later increased petrol and diesel prices by nearly ₹4 per litre over the past week, fuel prices at Nayara and Shell outlets continue to remain substantially above those charged by public-sector companies.
Read More: OMCs Continue Facing ₹750 Crore Daily Under-Recoveries Despite Recent Fuel Price Hike!
April’s fuel sales data highlighted diverging strategies among private retailers, with Nayara and Shell sacrificing volumes to limit losses from higher crude prices, while RIL-BP managed to strengthen its market position during the period.
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Published on: May 21, 2026, 12:17 PM IST
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