# Fuel price shock 2026: how EU pump prices have moved since 23 February

On average in the EU, diesel costs 39.6% more and petrol 27.8% more than on 23 February 2026, the last EU Weekly Oil Bulletin before 28 February 2026. Below: 26 EU countries, the cost of a 50-litre tank, the weekly chart and sentences ready to quote. The page updates with every new bulletin.

URL: https://www.fuel-prices.eu/press/price-shock-2026/
Data date: 2026-09-21

## Key numbers
- **+39.6%** EU diesel since 23 Feb 2026 — €1.594 → €2.226 per litre
- **+27.8%** EU petrol since 23 Feb 2026 — €1.637 → €2.092 per litre
- **+€31.60** Per 50-litre tank of diesel, EU — €79.70 → €111.30 · petrol: +€22.75
- **+56.0%** Biggest diesel rise: Bulgaria — €1.228 → €1.916 per litre since 23 Feb 2026

Source: EU Weekly Oil Bulletin (European Commission), prices of 23 Feb 2026 and 21 Sep 2026 · EU = weighted EU-27 average · € per litre, all taxes included

## The numbers — Diesel
| Country | 23 Feb 2026 (€/L) | 21 Sep 2026 (€/L) | Change | 50 L tank (change, €) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| EU average (weighted) | €1.594 | €2.226 | +39.6% | +€31.60 |
| Bulgaria | €1.228 | €1.916 | +56.0% | +€34.40 |
| Czechia | €1.363 | €2.071 | +51.9% | +€35.40 |
| Estonia | €1.391 | €2.113 | +51.9% | +€36.10 |
| Finland | €1.738 | €2.555 | +47.0% | +€40.85 |
| Belgium | €1.627 | €2.387 | +46.7% | +€38.00 |
| Austria | €1.546 | €2.238 | +44.8% | +€34.60 |
| France | €1.650 | €2.383 | +44.4% | +€36.65 |
| Luxembourg | €1.465 | €2.114 | +44.3% | +€32.45 |
| Greece | €1.548 | €2.224 | +43.7% | +€33.80 |
| Denmark | €1.780 | €2.555 | +43.5% | +€38.75 |
| Poland | €1.424 | €2.039 | +43.2% | +€30.75 |
| Latvia | €1.528 | €2.169 | +42.0% | +€32.05 |
| Lithuania | €1.615 | €2.258 | +39.8% | +€32.15 |
| Cyprus | €1.406 | €1.948 | +38.5% | +€27.10 |
| Portugal | €1.600 | €2.210 | +38.1% | +€30.50 |
| Netherlands | €1.873 | €2.579 | +37.7% | +€35.30 |
| Slovenia | €1.460 | €1.975 | +35.3% | +€25.75 |
| Spain | €1.423 | €1.918 | +34.8% | +€24.75 |
| Italy | €1.702 | €2.281 | +34.0% | +€28.95 |
| Sweden (temporary tax cuts) | €1.571 | €2.090 | +33.0% | +€25.95 |
| Slovakia | €1.467 | €1.950 | +32.9% | +€24.15 |
| Croatia | €1.494 | €1.975 | +32.2% | +€24.05 |
| Romania | €1.607 | €2.093 | +30.2% | +€24.30 |
| Hungary | €1.521 | €1.957 | +28.7% | +€21.80 |
| Ireland | €1.737 | €2.050 | +18.0% | +€15.65 |
| Malta (state-fixed price) | €1.210 | €1.210 | 0.0% | €0.00 |

> EU average: the Commission’s weighted EU-27 average. Countries: national average pump prices, all taxes included, as reported to the European Commission.

> Change and 50-litre tank difference are calculated from the prices shown (3 decimals). Country comparisons cover 26 EU countries.

## The numbers — Petrol
| Country | 23 Feb 2026 (€/L) | 21 Sep 2026 (€/L) | Change | 50 L tank (change, €) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| EU average (weighted) | €1.637 | €2.092 | +27.8% | +€22.75 |
| Finland | €1.713 | €2.364 | +38.0% | +€32.55 |
| Czechia | €1.372 | €1.884 | +37.3% | +€25.60 |
| Bulgaria | €1.218 | €1.663 | +36.5% | +€22.25 |
| Denmark (petrol: minus average discounts) | €1.938 | €2.618 | +35.1% | +€34.00 |
| Lithuania | €1.458 | €1.950 | +33.7% | +€24.60 |
| Belgium | €1.504 | €1.988 | +32.2% | +€24.20 |
| Poland | €1.377 | €1.820 | +32.2% | +€22.15 |
| Estonia | €1.453 | €1.917 | +31.9% | +€23.20 |
| Spain | €1.471 | €1.928 | +31.1% | +€22.85 |
| Latvia | €1.532 | €1.997 | +30.4% | +€23.25 |
| France | €1.710 | €2.219 | +29.8% | +€25.45 |
| Italy | €1.655 | €2.141 | +29.4% | +€24.30 |
| Cyprus | €1.312 | €1.677 | +27.8% | +€18.25 |
| Austria | €1.509 | €1.925 | +27.6% | +€20.80 |
| Luxembourg | €1.457 | €1.849 | +26.9% | +€19.60 |
| Greece | €1.738 | €2.197 | +26.4% | +€22.95 |
| Slovakia | €1.474 | €1.853 | +25.7% | +€18.95 |
| Portugal | €1.686 | €2.107 | +25.0% | +€21.05 |
| Romania | €1.546 | €1.891 | +22.3% | +€17.25 |
| Croatia | €1.471 | €1.796 | +22.1% | +€16.25 |
| Slovenia | €1.420 | €1.706 | +20.1% | +€14.30 |
| Hungary | €1.462 | €1.752 | +19.8% | +€14.50 |
| Netherlands | €2.062 | €2.449 | +18.8% | +€19.35 |
| Ireland | €1.739 | €1.945 | +11.8% | +€10.30 |
| Sweden (temporary tax cuts) | €1.434 | €1.579 | +10.1% | +€7.25 |
| Malta (state-fixed price) | €1.340 | €1.340 | 0.0% | €0.00 |

> EU average: the Commission’s weighted EU-27 average. Countries: national average pump prices, all taxes included, as reported to the European Commission.

> Change and 50-litre tank difference are calculated from the prices shown (3 decimals). Country comparisons cover 26 EU countries.

## Ready-to-quote sentences
- The EU average price of diesel has risen by 39.6% since 23 February 2026, from €1.594 to €2.226 per litre (EU Weekly Oil Bulletin, weighted EU-27 average, prices of 21 September 2026, via fuel-prices.eu).
- The EU average price of Euro-super 95 petrol has risen by 27.8% since 23 February 2026, from €1.637 to €2.092 per litre (EU Weekly Oil Bulletin, weighted EU-27 average, prices of 21 September 2026, via fuel-prices.eu).
- Filling a 50-litre tank with diesel costs €31.60 more than on 23 February 2026: €111.30 against €79.70, at the EU average price (EU Weekly Oil Bulletin, weighted EU-27 average, prices of 21 September 2026, via fuel-prices.eu).
- Filling a 50-litre tank with Euro-super 95 petrol costs €22.75 more than on 23 February 2026: €104.60 against €81.85, at the EU average price (EU Weekly Oil Bulletin, weighted EU-27 average, prices of 21 September 2026, via fuel-prices.eu).
- Bulgaria has seen the largest rise in diesel prices in the EU since 23 February 2026: +56.0%, from €1.228 to €1.916 per litre (EU Weekly Oil Bulletin, prices of 21 September 2026, via fuel-prices.eu).
- The smallest rise in diesel prices in the EU since 23 February 2026 was in Ireland: +18.0%, from €1.737 to €2.050 per litre; in Malta, where pump prices are fixed by the government, the price did not change (EU Weekly Oil Bulletin, prices of 21 September 2026, via fuel-prices.eu).
- Finland has seen the largest rise in Euro-super 95 petrol prices in the EU since 23 February 2026: +38.0%, from €1.713 to €2.364 per litre (EU Weekly Oil Bulletin, prices of 21 September 2026, via fuel-prices.eu).
- The smallest rise in Euro-super 95 petrol prices in the EU since 23 February 2026 was in Sweden: +10.1%, from €1.434 to €1.579 per litre; in Malta, where pump prices are fixed by the government, the price did not change (EU Weekly Oil Bulletin, prices of 21 September 2026, via fuel-prices.eu). Sweden temporarily cut its fuel taxes in 2026: the energy tax until 30 September and the CO₂ tax until 30 November (Skatteverket). Sweden does not use the euro: the Commission converts its prices at each week’s exchange rate.

## Methodology & caveats
- Base week. We compare each price with the EU Weekly Oil Bulletin of 23 February 2026, the last bulletin before 28 February 2026. The Commission collects Monday prices every week, so figures measured from another day (for example from 27 February) are not directly comparable with ours.
- Prices. National average pump prices of Euro-super 95 petrol and diesel, with all taxes, as reported by each country to the European Commission for the EU Weekly Oil Bulletin.
- EU average. The EU figure is the Commission’s weighted EU-27 average, weighted by each country’s fuel consumption. It is not a simple average of the national prices.
- Calculations. Percentages and 50-litre tank differences are calculated from the prices shown, rounded to 3 decimals, so you can redo them from the table: change = (now − 23 Feb) / 23 Feb; tank = 50 × (now − 23 Feb).
- Currencies. Czechia, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Sweden do not use the euro. The Commission converts their prices at each week’s exchange rate, so part of their change in euros can come from the exchange rate.
- Coverage. Country comparisons (changes, largest and smallest rises) cover 26 EU countries. The EU average is the Commission’s figure for all 27.
- Labels. Malta: pump prices are fixed by the government, the same at every station, so its change is not a market movement. Sweden: temporary fuel tax cuts in 2026, the energy tax from 1 May to 30 September (Skatteverket) and the CO₂ tax from 1 July to 30 November (Skatteverket). Denmark (petrol): consumer prices minus the previous quarter’s average discounts.
- Taxes. Several governments changed fuel taxes in 2026, which explains part of the differences between countries. See Fuel taxes in the EU.
- What the numbers do not say. They are national averages, not the price at a particular station. They do not explain why prices moved (crude oil, refining margins, exchange rates and taxes all play a part), and they are not a forecast.
- Updates. The page updates automatically when a new bulletin is published, usually on Thursday with the prices of that Monday. Data date on this page: 21 September 2026.

## How to cite
Source: fuel-prices.eu, EU Weekly Oil Bulletin (European Commission) — https://www.fuel-prices.eu/press/price-shock-2026/ — CC BY 4.0