Huge variation by country
Want to know what it costs to drive in Europe? Want to cut your expenditure? If so, carefully choose where to buy fuel and you could save a fortune to spend on sightseeing, entertainment, and eating out. The key is to note that the cost per litre varies immensely between countries – then pick fill-up points accordingly.
Petrol prices
The Post Office’s Motoring on the Continent Report quantifies the variations. Consider Cyprus, for instance. A litre of unleaded costs £0.98. It therefore costs £58.80 to fill a 60 litre fuel tank. What a contrast to Norway. Here, a litre of petrol costs £1.62 (+ £0.64) so your overall outlay is £97.20. That is + £38.40.
Cyprus and Norway are far apart but there are big differences between bordering countries. Petrol costs £1.09 per litre in Luxembourg, for example. However, it costs £1.32 (+ £0.23) in Belgium, £1.41 (+ £0.32) in France, and £1.43 (+ £0.34) in Germany.
The Post Office’s report also reveals where fuel has got more expensive, where it got cheaper, plus the changes. Compared to 2018, petrol is cheaper in 5 of 20 listed countries (- £0.01 to £0.13 per litre). In contrast, it is more expensive in 12 of 20 countries (+ £0.01 to £0.18). The table shows the complete picture.
Diesel prices
Diesel prices vary too. You pay only £0.96 per litre within Luxembourg, for starters. That equates to £57.60 for a 60 litre tank. However, the cost rises to £1.50 per litre in Norway (+ £0.54). The total to fill the tank is £90 which is an extra £32.40.
Compared to 2018, diesel is cheaper in 9 of 20 countries listed within the report (- £0.01 to £0.05 per litre). It is more expensive in 10 countries (+ £0.01 to £0.18). Note the table below.
Clearly, you could save a lot of money if you carefully choose where to buy fuel. What better way to cut the cost of your holiday?