Oil industry experts in Hungary warn that the country's diesel fuel reserves are at their lowest levels since the start of the conflict in Ukraine.

Strategic fuel reserves must last for 90 days, according to Hungary's regulations, but at current levels, they would only last only two weeks.

Hungary is running out of diesel, that is what the Hungarian Hydrocarbon Stockpiling Association says. The agency issues a monthly report on the nation's fuel reserves, and they say that none of the government's measures to save fuel are helping.

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Hungary's government first capped the fuel price at $1.25 per liter in November last year and then extended the price cap twice, once during the summer and then on October 1.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government introduced the cap to shield consumers from inflation at its highest level in two decades.

Hungary has struggled with fuel supply problems since the start of the Ukraine conflict. Some of Shell's filling stations have shut their operations temporarily, and there have been sporadic gasoline shortages in many cities. 

The oil industry has asked the Hungarian government to lift the price cap because it is leading to a higher demand for fuel.

Experts say that private and smaller gas stations have been hit the hardest.

"There are a lot of private petrol stations and many problems with them because of the cap. That is why almost all will close in the near future," said Lazlo Molnar, CEO of Economic Research Institute. 

Experts say that the price of natural gas has also caused a decrease in the country's diesel fuel reserves because it is cheaper than natural gas and many industries switched to using it due to their similar heating output.

The government says that without the price cap, the fuel price would be nearly twice as high as it is now and that they are constantly analyzing the state of the fuel supply.

Experts believe that fuel supply problems in Hungary's main cities will persist. But what is more troubling for many Hungarians is the lack of fuel in rural areas, where gas stations are typically the last in line to get the fuel they need for their customers.