Diesel and Gas Taxes in Europe, 2026

Changes from 2025

• Romania increased the tax on petrol by €0.094 per liter and the tax on diesel by €0.086 per liter.
• The Netherlands increased the tax on petrol by €0.056 per liter and the tax on diesel by €0.036 per liter.
• Lithuania increased the tax on petrol by €0.049 per liter and the tax on diesel by €0.034 per liter.
• Latvia increased the tax on petrol by €0.023 per liter and the tax on diesel by €0.027 per liter.
• Portugal increased the tax on petrol by €0.022 per liter and the tax on diesel by €0.031 per liter.
• Czechia increased the tax on petrol by €0.021 per liter and the tax on diesel by €0.016 per liter.
• Ireland increased the tax on petrol by €0.017 per liter and the tax on diesel by €0.020 per liter.
• Other Member States changed the tax on petrol and/or diesel by less than €0.020 per liter, either legislatively or due to changes in currency conversions.

Almost every EU country levies a lower excise duty on diesel than on petrol. Belgium levies the same rate on the two fuels, as does former EU member the United Kingdom. The average excise duty on petrol across the EU is €0.570 per liter ($2.53 per gallon), while the average excise duty on diesel is €0.468 per liter ($2.08 per gallon).

Italy levies the highest excise duty on diesel at €0.632 per liter ($2.81 per gallon), followed by Ireland at €0.616 per liter ($2.74 per gallon) and the United Kingdom at €0.6076 per liter ($2.70 per gallon).

The lowest diesel excise duties are levied by Bulgaria and Malta at the EU minimum of €0.330 per liter, followed by Sweden at €0.359 per liter ($1.60 per gallon).

These figures include any environmental taxes in the reported excise duty where those taxes are applied with an ad quantum, per unit rate. At least eight EU Member States levy a carbon, energy, or other environmental tax included in their total excise duty. Among those countries with a reported, quantified environmental tax, the burdens on petrol range from a low of €0.087 per liter in Slovenia to a high of €0.296 per liter in Sweden. Other countries may have lesser or greater burdens, but they do not explicitly report their portion of the total duty.

For comparison across the Atlantic, the EU minimum excise duty on gasoline ($1.60 per gallon) is greater than the highest gas tax in the US, which is approximately $1.43 per gallon in California (combining federal and state taxes and including estimated environmental burdens).

All EU Member States also levy an additional value-added tax (VAT) on the sale of gasoline and diesel fuel. The excise duties reported are levied before the VAT is applied. VAT rates range from 17 percent in Luxembourg to 27 percent in Hungary. These taxes combine to create a relatively high burden on consumers and European economies.

Taxes on petrol and diesel fuel continue to be a prominent policy issue throughout Europe. As the EU implements the European Green Deal, policymakers must consider the role of taxes in the green transition. Fuel taxes are likely to remain central to these discussions.