Why do fuel prices in Europe differ so much?
Fuel prices in Europe differ drastically – by up to 100% between the cheapest and the most expensive country. The main reason: taxes and levies. In Germany, energy tax, the CO₂ price and VAT together account for around half of the final price. In countries such as Malta, Poland or Turkey the burden is much lower.
Did you know?
The price before tax is much closer together across EU countries than the final price at the pump. The big differences arise mainly from national taxes and levies.
Other factors that influence the price:
- Energy tax: ranges from the EU minimum rate of 0.359 €/litre of petrol to well over 0.65 €/litre (for example Germany, Italy, the Netherlands)
- CO₂ pricing: Germany has levied a CO₂ price since 2021; in 2026 a price corridor of 55 to 65 €/tonne applies
- VAT: from 17% (Luxembourg) to 27% (Hungary)
- Blending quotas: higher shares of biofuels can raise the price
- Logistics: landlocked countries without port access have higher transport costs
Where is fuel cheapest in Europe?
For travellers from Germany, filling up is particularly worthwhile in the eastern EU neighbouring countries. The cheapest options:
- 1. 🇲🇹 Malta 1.34€
- 2. 🇹🇷 Turkey 1.37€
- 3. 🇵🇱 Poland 1.47€
- 4. 🇦🇩 Andorra 1.54€
- 5. 🇸🇪 Sweden 1.56€
- 1. 🇲🇹 Malta 1.21€
- 2. 🇦🇩 Andorra 1.70€
- 3. 🇹🇷 Turkey 1.74€
- 4. 🇵🇱 Poland 1.78€
- 5. 🇪🇸 Spain 1.89€
Practical tip for cross-border commuters: if you regularly drive to the Czech Republic, Poland or Luxembourg, you save around 18 € (Czech Republic) to 35 € (Poland) on petrol per tank (50 litres) as of 26 October 2026. Filling up weekly, that quickly adds up to around 1,000 € a year or more. The gaps do vary from week to week, however.
Germany compared with the rest of Europe
With a petrol price of 2.17€ per litre, Germany is one of the most expensive countries in Europe. In our comparison only France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark and Norway are dearer. The reasons:
- Energy tax: 0.6545 € per litre of petrol (one of the highest in Europe)
- CO₂ price: in 2026 within a corridor of 55 to 65 €/tonne – equivalent to around 13 to 15 cents per litre of petrol (plus VAT)
- VAT: 19% on the total price including all taxes (tax on tax)
- Oil stockpiling levy: an amount of less than one cent per litre
Motorway price trap
According to ADAC (the German automobile club), filling stations on German motorways usually charge considerably more than stations away from the motorway. If you still need to fill up in Germany before driving abroad, leave the motorway – or simply fill up in the cheaper neighbouring country. Plan your fuel stop in advance!
Money-saving tips for drivers in Europe
The best saving strategies
- Fill up just across the border: in the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria or Luxembourg you save around 0.37 to 0.70 €/litre of petrol compared with Germany (as of 26 October 2026)
- Use fuel apps: apps such as ADAC Spritpreise, clever-tanken or GasBuddy show the cheapest filling stations nearby
- Fill up in Germany before 12 noon: since 1 April 2026, filling stations may raise their prices only once a day, at 12 noon – according to ADAC it is cheapest shortly before that
- Avoid motorway filling stations: in many countries they are noticeably more expensive than normal stations
- Supermarket filling stations: in France (Carrefour, Leclerc, Intermarché) and the UK (Tesco, Sainsbury's) they are often cheaper than branded stations
- Optimise your route: plan fuel stops deliberately in cheaper countries
Data source and updates
Our fuel prices come from the European Commission's EU Weekly Oil Bulletin. The member states report prices weekly as of Monday, and the Commission publishes them during the week. It is the official and free data source for fuel prices in the EU. We take the values for Super 95 and diesel including all taxes.
In addition we use data from GlobalPetrolPrices.com for non-EU countries such as Switzerland, Norway, Turkey and the United Kingdom. These values are quoted there in US dollars; we convert them into euros using the ECB reference rate of the same day. They are therefore only comparable to a limited extent with the EU values.
Our sources
- Primary source: EU Weekly Oil Bulletin (all EU-27 states)
- Secondary source: GlobalPetrolPrices.com (non-EU countries)
- Updates to this page: at irregular intervals – the reference date below is what counts
- Reference date of the data: 26 October 2026
Last updated: 26 October 2026 | Sources: EU Weekly Oil Bulletin, GlobalPetrolPrices.com