Where Is Fuel Cheapest in Europe?

As of May 4, 2026, the cheapest Euro 95 petrol in the European Union is in Malta at €1.340 per liter. The cheapest diesel is in Malta at €1.210 per liter. The EU-wide average stands at €1.809/L for petrol and €1.934/L for diesel.

The most expensive petrol in the EU is in Netherlands at €2.389/L — that's €1.05 more per liter than Malta, or €52.45 more for a full 50-liter tank. For diesel, the most expensive country is Netherlands at €2.366/L.

Why Are Fuel Prices So Different Across Europe?

Fuel prices in Europe vary primarily due to taxation. Excise duty and VAT together can represent 50–65% of the final pump price in high-tax countries like the Netherlands, Denmark, and Finland. Eastern European countries — particularly Bulgaria, Romania, and Poland — have significantly lower excise duty rates, resulting in cheaper fuel. Other factors include refining margins, distribution costs, and whether a country regulates or caps fuel prices (as Malta does for diesel).

The 5 Cheapest EU Countries for Petrol

🇲🇹 Malta at €1.340/L, 🇧🇬 Bulgaria at €1.481/L, 🇵🇱 Poland at €1.506/L, 🇪🇸 Spain at €1.528/L, 🇨🇾 Cyprus at €1.542/L. These countries are consistently among the cheapest in Europe for fuel, primarily due to lower national excise duties on petroleum products.

The 5 Most Expensive EU Countries for Petrol

🇳🇱 Netherlands at €2.389/L, 🇩🇰 Denmark at €2.366/L, 🇫🇮 Finland at €2.157/L, 🇬🇷 Greece at €2.082/L, 🇩🇪 Germany at €2.063/L. Higher prices in these countries reflect a combination of higher excise duties, VAT rates, and in some cases environmental levies.

Highway vs City Fuel Prices

The prices shown above are national averages. However, highway and motorway fuel stations typically charge 15–25% more than city or town stations. In Italy, highway "Autogrill" stations can charge €0.15–0.25 more per liter, and in Greece the premium can reach 25%. Planning refueling stops before entering motorways can save €5–15 per tank. See our highway premium analysis for country-specific data.

Best Border Crossing Fuel Savings

Some of the best fuel saving opportunities are at borders between expensive and cheap countries: fill up in Luxembourg before entering Belgium, France, or Germany; refuel in Austria or Slovenia before crossing into Italy; top up in Poland before driving into Germany or Sweden; and fill your tank in Spain before entering France. Our road trip fuel cost calculator automatically identifies the cheapest refueling stops along your route.

About This Data

This ranking is based on data from the European Commission's Weekly Oil Bulletin, which collects national average consumer prices (including all taxes — excise duty and VAT) from official authorities in each of the 27 EU member states. Data is updated every Thursday. fuel-prices.eu has tracked these prices weekly since January 2005, providing over 1,050 data points per country — more than 20 years of continuous data. Historical data is available for download in CSV, JSON, and PDF formats via our API.