Overview
On a long drive from Ukraine into the European Union, two costs dominate the budget: what you pay at the pump and what you pay for road tolls. This week the cheapest diesel in our comparison is in 🇭🇺 Hungary at €1.704 per litre, followed closely by 🇵🇱 Poland at €1.744. The single most effective habit is simple: fill the tank in the cheaper country immediately before you cross into a more expensive one. Note that fuel prices are updated weekly, so the ranking below can change — always check the live page for current numbers before you set off.
Where fuel is cheapest right now
The table lists the twelve cheapest countries in our dataset, ranked by diesel. All figures are approximate and converted to EUR for comparison (prices updated 2026-08-17).
| # | Country | Diesel €/l | Petrol 95 €/l | LPG €/l |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇭🇺 Hungary | €1.704 | €1.553 | €0.88 |
| 2 | 🇵🇱 Poland | €1.744 | €1.532 | €0.698 |
| 3 | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | €1.77 | €1.72 | €0.79 |
| 4 | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | €1.798 | €1.55 | — |
| 5 | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | €1.81 | €1.56 | — |
| 6 | 🇸🇪 Sweden | €1.82 | €1.44 | — |
| 7 | 🇪🇸 Spain | €1.86 | €1.72 | €1.08 |
| 8 | 🇨🇿 Czechia | €1.9 | €1.74 | €0.9 |
| 9 | 🇭🇷 Croatia | €1.93 | €1.69 | €0.73 |
| 10 | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | €1.96 | €1.73 | — |
| 11 | 🇬🇷 Greece | €2.04 | €2.03 | — |
| 12 | 🇦🇹 Austria | €2.05 | €1.78 | — |
Note: prices are approximate and EUR-converted for comparison; the live fuel prices page shows current native-currency numbers per country and city. For reference, diesel in 🇺🇦 Ukraine is €2.071 (91.65 UAH) and in 🇷🇴 Romania €2.111 (10.5 RON), while 🇩🇪 Germany is at €2.186 and 🇳🇱 the Netherlands at €2.42. If you are converting your travel budget between UAH, PLN and EUR, the currency calculator shows live rates so you can compare a local pump price against the EUR figures here.
Smart fuelling strategy
The border-hopping method is the core of the savings. Fill the tank in the cheaper country right before you enter a more expensive one. Driving from Poland into Germany is the clearest example this week: diesel is €1.744 in Poland against €2.186 in Germany. On a 60-litre tank that is a difference of more than €26 for one fill. The same logic applies to fuel in Austria at €2.05 — top up in Hungary or Slovakia first.
If your route does not pass through one of the cheapest countries, fill the tank to maximum before leaving Ukraine. Diesel at €2.071 in Ukraine is still below the level in France (€2.23), Belgium (€2.26) or the Netherlands (€2.42).
Two more habits reduce the total. First, gas stations directly on motorways charge roughly 15–20% more than stations off the motorway. A five-minute detour into a nearby town usually pays for itself on a single fill. Second, in Western Europe the supermarket-attached stations are almost always the cheapest in their area — a useful rule when you are looking for gas stations in an unfamiliar city. LPG drivers should also plan ahead: autogas is €0.698 in Poland and €0.73 in Croatia, but €1.091 in Germany. Before you commit to a route, it is worth comparing prices per country and city — for example fuel for cars in Milan — because a detour of 50 km can be cheaper than a full tank bought at the wrong place.
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, and roadside cameras then scan your license plate to confirm that a valid pass exists. There is nothing to display in the windscreen and nothing to buy at the border. Toll and vignette data below was updated on 2026-08-30. Prices are for passenger cars up to 3.5 t.
| 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 |
Most of these countries sell a 1-day pass, which is the correct choice if you are only passing through. Three do not: 🇲🇩 Moldova and 🇸🇮 Slovenia start at 7 days, and 🇨🇭 Switzerland sells an annual vignette only. This list changes from week to week, so check the current durations before you buy. Always buy from the official site shown in the table.
Pay-per-kilometre (toll booths)
In ticket-system countries there is no pass to buy in advance. You take a ticket when you enter the motorway and pay at a booth when you leave, with cash or card. 🇮🇹 Italy operates one of the most expensive networks in Europe. 🇫🇷 France uses a ticket and barrier system on most autoroutes and is also expensive, so budget accordingly. 🇭🇷 Croatia charges higher tariffs in the summer season. 🇷🇸 Serbia is a straightforward ticket-on-entry, pay-on-exit system. 🇵🇹 Portugal mixes classic toll booths with electronic-only motorways (Via Verde), so a transponder is needed for the electronic-only roads. 🇵🇱 Poland is a special case: state motorways are free for cars, while the private A1, A2 and A4 concessions charge at booths or through the Autopay app.
Toll-free for cars
Motorways are free for passenger cars in 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇧🇪 Belgium and 🇳🇱 the Netherlands, with rare exceptions for individual tunnels and bridges. Free roads for cars do not mean free roads for everyone: heavy vehicles pay by distance in Germany, and drivers who need to calculate the German LKW Maut (truck toll) can do so with our calculator.
Plan your trip
Plan your refuelling stops around the cheapest country on your route rather than around the moment the warning light comes on. One well-placed stop before an expensive country is worth more than several small top-ups. Use the route planner to lay out the corridor, then check which vignettes that corridor requires.
Buy every vignette online a day before departure. This avoids border queues at sales points and removes the risk of driving a short section without a valid pass. Keep the confirmation email; the pass is linked to your license plate, not to a paper document.
Finally, add fuel and tolls together before you leave. The trip cost calculator estimates the total trip cost for your route, and the fuel prices behind it are refreshed weekly, so re-check them close to your departure date.
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: 02.09.2026