Fuel Prices in Europe, Half-Year Review 2026: +13.5% — Where It Got Expensive and Where It Didn't

Half-time 2026: we compared the average petrol price in the first weeks of January with the last two weeks of June across every country we track weekly (EU Oil Bulletin data). The result is unambiguous — Europe got more expensive. The average petrol price rose from €1.53/L in January to €1.74/L at the end of June (+13.5%). Diesel climbed even a touch faster: from €1.52 to €1.74/L (+14.6%).

In everyday terms: a 50-litre fill-up costs about €10 more than at the start of the year. A commuter filling up every two weeks is paying roughly €130 more per year at June's level — without driving a single kilometre further.

But the European average hides a huge spread: some countries jumped by a quarter, others barely moved at all. Here is the full picture.

Six countries stand out with rises of around a fifth or more (petrol, January vs. end of June):

• 🇩🇰 Denmark: +24.9% — from €1.88 to €2.35/L, Europe's steepest climb and now clearly the most expensive petrol on the continent.
• 🇧🇬 Bulgaria: +22.8% (€1.22 → €1.49) — painful precisely because Bulgaria started as one of the cheapest countries.
• 🇫🇮 Finland: +21.5% (€1.78 → €2.16)
• 🇧🇪 Belgium: +21.4% (€1.46 → €1.77)
• 🇱🇹 Lithuania: +19.7% (€1.42 → €1.70)
• 🇨🇿 Czech Republic: +19.1% (€1.36 → €1.62)

On the diesel side Bulgaria actually tops the table (+24.6%), with Finland (+21.2%) and Belgium (+20.8%) close behind.

Now the surprising part — a handful of countries almost completely escaped the rise:

• 🇲🇹 Malta: ±0.0% — unchanged at €1.34/L. Malta's fuel prices are administratively set, and they simply did not move. It remains Europe's cheapest place to fill up, by far.
• 🇪🇸 Spain: +1.9% (€1.44 → €1.47) — remarkably calm for such a large market, and great news for holidaymakers.
• 🇮🇪 Ireland: +4.0% (€1.72 → €1.79)
• 🇩🇪 Germany: +5.9% (€1.79 → €1.89) — Europe's biggest fuel market saw only a fraction of its neighbours' increases; German diesel rose just +4.7%.

No tracked country actually got cheaper over the half-year — but next to Denmark's +24.9%, Spain's +1.9% feels like a price freeze.

How the six largest western European fuel markets closed the half-year (petrol, end of June):

• 🇩🇪 Germany: €1.89/L (+5.9%) · Diesel €1.76 (+4.7%)
• 🇫🇷 France: €1.96/L (+14.9%) · Diesel €1.92 (+18.6%)
• 🇮🇹 Italy: €1.85/L (+13.2%) · Diesel €1.95 (+17.8%)
• 🇪🇸 Spain: €1.47/L (+1.9%) · Diesel €1.54 (+11.5%)
• 🇳🇱 Netherlands: €2.22/L (+10.2%) — the only big market above €2.20
• 🇦🇹 Austria: €1.68/L (+14.8%) · Diesel €1.75 (+17.9%)

The old pattern held through the half-year: the Netherlands and the Nordics at the top, Spain and central-eastern Europe cheaper — but the gaps shifted noticeably, because the cheap East rose much faster than the expensive West.

The level of the rise mostly comes from the global market: crude oil and refined-product prices firmed through the spring of 2026, and every European pump price carries that world-market cost inside it.

The unevenness is home-made. A litre's pump price is roughly half taxes (fixed excise duty plus VAT), and each government sets its own. Countries change duties at the turn of the year and adjust levies mid-year; regulated markets like Malta hold prices steady by decree. On top sit local effects — refinery maintenance, distribution costs, competition. That is how Bulgaria can climb more than 20% while Spain, importing from the same world market, moves by barely 2%.

One pattern worth noticing: several of the strongest risers started the year among the cheapest countries (Bulgaria, Lithuania, Czech Republic). Part of H1 2026 was the cheap East catching up with the expensive West.

For the holiday season, the half-year verdict translates into practical advice:

• Route via Spain? Fill up there — barely more expensive than in January and well below the EU average.
• Heading to Denmark or Finland? Cross the border with a full tank; the difference has never been bigger.
• Malta remains Europe's fuel paradise at €1.34/L.
• On any cross-border route, the live ranking of all countries and our cheapest-fuel-country guide show where your tank costs the least, updated weekly.

These half-year figures are a frozen snapshot (January vs. end of June 2026). Today's prices move on every week — check the European fuel overview, individual countries like Denmark or Malta, or the Europe fuel travel guide before you set off.