QCOSTARICA — Though every gasoline station across the country sell gasoline from the same supplier, the State refinery, Refinadora Costarricense de Petróleo (RECOPE), and as mandated by law at the same price, gasoline at some stations are not what we are paying for.
The regulator of public prices and services, the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (ARESEP), reports that a total of 52 gasoline stations failed to pass the 2025 regulatory seal.
According to the ARESEP, the failed stations were found to be overcharging, using tampered meters, or not minimum quality standards, among others.
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In San José, these are Service Station Avenida 10 and Fersol Service Station.
In Alajuela, there are seven stations, including Costanera Veintisiete and V & J Service Station: Fallas (see the full list in the infographic).
In Cartago, three stations were identified: Transportes Hermanos Orozco, Servicio Molina y Robles LTDA, and Service Station La Tica.
In Puntarenas and Guanacaste, Aresep reported irregularities at Gasolineras Monteverde M.D.S. and the Marina Papagayo Service Station.
One hundred percent of the gas stations in Heredia and Limón received the quality assurance seal awarded by the Regulatory Authority.
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“If a facility does not receive the quality seal, it means that, throughout the year under evaluation, it exhibited some noncompliance related to excellence, quantity, price, or some administrative provision,” explained Mario Mora, Aresep’s Energy Superintendent.
These centers represent 12% of the 419 sites located in the seven provinces.
“The fact that a complaint was received does not mean that the service station had the problem throughout the year, but rather that, at a certain point, a noncompliance was detected,” Mora said.
The Energy Superintendent added that Aresep grants a maximum period of three days to correct the detected problem, so that companies can guarantee customers that the service is in compliance. In addition, the possibility of initiating a disciplinary process is being analyzed.
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Costa Rica consumes more fuel
According to the Regulatory Authority’s analysis, the country has gradually increased its consumption of fossil fuels, concentrating it in areas with the highest socioeconomic activity.
Consumption of petroleum products increased by 18%, from 3.449 billion liters in 2022 to 4.099 billion in 2023. The cantons of San José, Alajuela, and San Carlos remain the main consumers.
According to the Aresept, these are the types of fuel used in Costa Rica:
- Diesel: 36.4%
- Super: 19.3%
- Regular: 15.4%
- LPG: 11.6%
- Other: 17.3%
Source: Aresep
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