Overview
On a long drive from Ukraine into the EU, two costs decide your budget: what you pay at the pump and what you pay for road tolls. This week the cheapest diesel in our ranking is in 🇧🇬 Bulgaria at €1.813 per litre, while 🇩🇪 Germany is among the most expensive at €2.402 per litre. The single most effective move is simple: fill the tank in the cheaper country immediately before you cross into a more expensive one. All fuel prices here are approximate, converted to EUR for comparison, and they are updated weekly — the ranking can change from one week to the next, so check the live page before you set off.
Where fuel is cheapest right now
These are the twelve cheapest countries in our ranking for Week 38, ordered by diesel price.
| # | Country | Diesel €/l | Petrol 95 €/l | LPG €/l |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 1.813 | 1.571 | — |
| 2 | 🇭🇺 Hungary | 1.828 | 1.595 | 0.864 |
| 3 | 🇭🇷 Croatia | 1.856 | 1.732 | 0.801 |
| 4 | 🇨🇿 Czechia | 1.883 | 1.763 | 0.820 |
| 5 | 🇪🇸 Spain | 1.885 | 1.902 | 1.096 |
| 6 | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 1.900 | 1.590 | — |
| 7 | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | 1.950 | 1.810 | 0.820 |
| 8 | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 1.998 | 2.317 | 0.822 |
| 9 | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 2.002 | 1.740 | 0.989 |
| 10 | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 2.020 | 1.870 | — |
| 11 | 🇵🇱 Poland | 2.059 | 1.854 | 0.710 |
| 12 | 🇷🇴 Romania | 2.111 | 1.950 | 0.925 |
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, Poland lists diesel at 8.76 PLN, Romania at 10.5 RON and Hungary at 722.4 HUF, while Ukraine sits at 96.91 UAH (about €2.19). If you want to compare those native figures against your own budget, the currency calculator converts UAH, PLN and EUR at live rates, which also helps when you decide how much cash to carry across the border crossing.
Smart fuelling strategy
The core tactic is border-hopping. Look at your route, find the cheapest country on it, and plan a full tank there right before you enter a pricier one. A driver heading west through Poland at €2.059 per litre of diesel should fill up completely before entering Germany at €2.402. On a 60-litre tank that single decision is worth more than €20.
If your route does not pass through one of the cheaper countries, top off the tank to maximum before leaving Ukraine, where diesel is €2.19 per litre this week.
Two more habits reduce the total cost. First, gas stations located directly on motorways charge roughly 15–20% more than stations a few kilometres away. A five-minute detour into a nearby town usually pays for itself. Second, in Western Europe the supermarket-attached fuel station is almost always the cheapest option in the area. Spanish and Portuguese drivers search for cheap gas stations near me for exactly this reason, and the same logic applies to any transit driver. Travellers heading into the Balkans often also check the price of diesel in North Macedonia before choosing where to stop.
If you run on LPG, note that the cheapest autogas in the table is in Poland at €0.710, followed by 🇭🇷 Croatia at €0.801.
Tolls and vignettes across Europe
Vignette countries — buy a digital pass before you cross
A vignette is a pre-paid digital road pass tied to your license plate. There is no booth and no barrier: roadside cameras scan the license plate and check it against the national database. You buy it online from the official site before crossing, and it becomes valid for the period you selected. Our vignette and toll page lists current prices and the official purchase links. Toll data below was updated on 13 September 2026.
| 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 only (no 1-day option) | e-vignette.ch |
Three countries in this week's data do not sell a 1-day pass: 🇲🇩 Moldova and 🇸🇮 Slovenia start at seven days, and 🇨🇭 Switzerland sells an annual vignette only. Plan those costs into the budget even for a short transit. Austria's road toll is widely known locally as the Vignette, and heavy-vehicle charging there is called LKW-Maut, but for a passenger car up to 3.5 tonnes the 1-day pass is all you need. Check fuel for Austria too, since at €2.277 per litre of diesel it is a country to cross with a full tank.
Pay-per-kilometre (toll booths)
In ticket-system countries you take a ticket when you enter the motorway and pay at a booth when you exit, in cash or by card. 🇷🇸 Serbia uses ticket on entry, payment on exit. 🇮🇹 Italy operates the same way and has 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 on exit with higher tariffs in the summer season. 🇵🇹 Portugal mixes classic toll booths with electronic-only motorways, so a Via Verde transponder is worth having. 🇵🇱 Poland keeps state motorways free for cars, but the private A1, A2 and A4 concessions charge at booths or through the Autopay app. Italy, France and Croatia are the three to watch most closely.
Toll-free for cars
Passenger cars pay nothing for motorway use in 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇧🇪 Belgium and 🇳🇱 Netherlands. A few tunnels and bridges remain chargeable, but there is no national car toll and no vignette to buy. Germany is expensive at the pump, so treat it as a country to drive through rather than refuel in.
Plan your trip
Build the refuelling plan before departure, not at the wheel. Identify the cheapest country on your route, then set your stops so you arrive there with a low tank and leave with a full one. Use the route planner to map the drive and place the stops realistically around your driving time and rest period.
Buy every vignette online from the official site a day or two ahead. This avoids border queues and removes the risk of a camera fine on the first kilometres after entry. Keep the confirmation email, and double-check that the license plate you entered matches the vehicle exactly.
Finally, put a number on the whole journey before you leave. The trip cost calculator combines fuel consumption and road toll costs into a single estimate, so you can compare two possible routes properly rather than guessing.
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: 16.09.2026