Overview
On a long drive from Ukraine into the European Union, two costs decide your budget: what you pay at the pump and what you pay for road access. This week the cheapest diesel in our comparison is in 🇭🇺 Hungary at €1.704 per litre, followed closely by 🇵🇱 Poland at €1.751. The single most effective habit is simple: fill the tank in a cheaper country immediately before you cross into a more expensive one. Fuel prices are updated weekly, so the ranking below can change from one week to the next — always check the live page before you set off.
Where fuel is cheapest right now
The table lists the cheapest countries in our comparison, ranked by diesel. Figures are approximate and converted to EUR so that countries can be compared directly.
| # | Country | Diesel €/l | Petrol 95 €/l | LPG €/l |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇭🇺 Hungary | €1.704 | €1.553 | €0.88 |
| 2 | 🇵🇱 Poland | €1.751 | €1.518 | €0.705 |
| 3 | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | €1.768 | €1.535 | — |
| 4 | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | €1.77 | €1.72 | €0.79 |
| 5 | 🇸🇪 Sweden | €1.78 | €1.41 | — |
| 6 | 🇪🇸 Spain | €1.83 | €1.71 | €1.08 |
| 7 | 🇨🇿 Czechia | €1.84 | €1.71 | €0.92 |
| 8 | 🇭🇷 Croatia | €1.84 | €1.62 | €0.71 |
| 9 | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | €1.84 | €1.58 | — |
| 10 | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | €1.92 | €1.73 | — |
| 11 | 🇬🇷 Greece | €2 | €2 | — |
| 12 | 🇵🇹 Portugal | €2.03 | €1.95 | — |
Note: prices are approximate and EUR-converted for comparison; the live fuel prices page shows current native-currency numbers per country and city. In local currency, Hungarian diesel is about 673.6 HUF and Polish diesel about 7.45 PLN per litre. For reference, diesel in 🇺🇦 Ukraine is around €2.093 (about 92.61 UAH), and drivers comparing diesel prices in Bulgaria will find one of the lowest levels in this table at €1.768. If you want to see how those EUR figures translate into hryvnia or zloty at today's rates, use the currency calculator before you budget the trip.
Smart fuelling strategy
The core tactic is border-hopping. Look at your route, identify the cheapest country you will actually pass through, and plan a full tank there. Filling up in Poland before entering Germany is the clearest example this week: diesel is €1.751 in Poland against €2.393 in Germany. On a 60-litre tank that difference is significant.
If your route does not pass through one of the cheaper countries, top the tank off to maximum before leaving Ukraine. Ukrainian diesel at €2.093 is still below the level in France, Denmark, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany.
Two further habits reduce the total. First, avoid gas stations located directly on motorways — they typically charge 15–20% more than stations a short distance away. A five-minute detour into the nearest town usually pays for itself. Second, in Western Europe, stations attached to supermarkets are almost always the cheapest option in their area. Where a country's prices swing between towns, it is worth checking a specific location: for example, current petrol prices at Wolter in Wasserbillig, on the Luxembourg border, are a common reference point for drivers heading west, since fuel in Luxembourg sits at €1.92 for diesel. If you drive on LPG, note that autogas is priced separately and is not available everywhere in the ranking.
Tolls and vignettes across Europe
Vignette countries — buy a digital pass before you cross
A vignette is a pre-paid digital road pass. You buy it online before crossing the border, it is linked to your license plate, and roadside cameras check the plate automatically. There is no sticker to display and no booth to stop at. Buy only from the official national site listed below. For passenger cars up to 3.5 tonnes, the cheapest transit options this week are:
| Country | Cheapest transit pass | Buy online |
|---|---|---|
| 🇷🇴 Romania | 3.5 EUR (1 day) | roviniete.ro |
| 🇲🇩 Moldova | 4 EUR (7 days) — no 1-day option | evinieta.gov.md |
| 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 4.09 EUR (1 day) | bgtoll.bg |
| 🇸🇰 Slovakia | 8.1 EUR (1 day) | eznamka.sk |
| 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | 9.2 EUR (1 day) | edalnice.cz |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | 9.6 EUR (1 day) | shop.asfinag.at |
| 🇭🇺 Hungary | 14 EUR (1 day) | nemzetiutdij.hu |
| 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 16 EUR (7 days) — no 1-day option | evinjeta.dars.si |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 42.5 CHF (annual) — no 1-day option, annual vignette only | e-vignette.ch |
Three countries in this week's data have no 1-day pass: 🇲🇩 Moldova (shortest is 7 days), 🇸🇮 Slovenia (shortest is 7 days) and 🇨🇭 Switzerland (annual only). Plan those into the budget even for a single day of transit. Everywhere else, a 1-day pass covers a straight transit. Drivers of heavy vehicles have a separate calculation, and the German truck toll calculator is the tool to use when you need to estimate LKW-Maut charges in Germany.
Pay-per-kilometre (toll booths)
In ticket-system countries you take a ticket when you enter the motorway and pay at the exit booth, by cash or card. There is nothing to buy in advance.
- 🇮🇹 Italy — take a ticket on entry, pay on exit. One of the most expensive networks in Europe.
- 🇫🇷 France — ticket and barrier system on most autoroutes. Expensive, so budget accordingly.
- 🇭🇷 Croatia — ticket on entry, pay on exit. Higher tariffs in the summer season.
- 🇷🇸 Serbia — ticket on entry, pay on exit, cash or card.
- 🇵🇹 Portugal — a mix of classic toll booths and electronic-only motorways (Via Verde). Get a transponder for the electronic-only roads.
- 🇵🇱 Poland — state motorways are free for cars. The private A1, A2 and A4 concessions charge at booths or through the Autopay application.
Italy, France and Croatia have the highest road toll costs of this group, so a route through them raises the total cost significantly.
Toll-free for cars
Motorways are free for passenger cars in 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇧🇪 Belgium and 🇳🇱 Netherlands. Rare tunnel and bridge exceptions apply, but there is no vignette and no ticket for ordinary cars.
Plan your trip
Build the route first, then place your refuelling stops. Identify the cheapest country on the route and plan a full tank there, rather than refuelling wherever the gauge happens to drop. Our route planner shows the corridor and helps you position stops and rest periods along it.
Buy every vignette online before you reach the border. This avoids border queues and removes the risk of driving a few kilometres on a tolled road without a valid pass, which carries a fine. Keep the confirmation email or a screenshot with your license plate visible.
Finally, add up the two costs together before departure. The trip cost calculator combines fuel consumption and road toll expenses into one estimate, so you know what the drive will cost before you leave. Remember that fuel figures move every week and the ranking changes with them.
Useful tools
- Live Fuel Prices Across Europe — country & city prices, updated regularly
- European Vignettes & Tolls — e-vignette prices and official links
- Route Planner — plan your drive with fuel and toll stops
- Car Drivers Portal — all driving tools in one place
- Trip Cost Calculator — estimate fuel, toll and total trip expenses
- Currency Calculator — UAH, PLN, EUR and more live rates
Source: nakordoni.eu — Fuel Prices & Tolls | Updated: 26.08.2026