How to Save Money on Fuel When Driving in Europe

Published 16 April 2026

The opportunity: Fuel prices vary significantly between European countries and between stations within the same country. A bit of planning before and during your trip can make a noticeable difference to your overall costs — especially on a longer drive.

Whether you're driving to the south of France, across Spain to Portugal, through the Alps to Italy, or on a road trip hitting several countries, fuel is one of the biggest variable costs of the journey. Here's how to keep it down.

Prices vary more than you'd expect

Each European country has different tax rates, different wholesale costs, and different levels of competition between stations. The result is that fuel can cost noticeably more in one country than in a neighbouring one. Even within a single country, supermarket stations are almost always cheaper than branded forecourts, and motorway services are almost always the most expensive option.

Country-by-country tips

France: Supermarkets (Leclerc, Carrefour, Intermarché) are consistently the cheapest. Autoroute service stations charge a significant premium. Leave the motorway at a junction near a town and fill up there instead.
Spain: Prices are generally competitive, but vary by region. Stations in rural areas sometimes charge more due to less competition. The official geoportalgasolineras.es portal (run by MITECO) publishes every public retail station's price.
Italy: Forecourt pricing can be variable. Self-service ("fai da te") pumps are cheaper than staffed ("servito") pumps at the same station — sometimes by a meaningful amount.
Portugal: Similar to Spain in pricing structure. Supermarket-branded forecourts (Intermarché, Auchan) tend to undercut the majors; Pingo Doce and Continente both have fuel partnerships with branded chains and track closely to them.
Germany: Prices can change multiple times per day due to intense competition. They tend to be lowest in the evening and highest in the morning. Every change is reported within five minutes to the Markttransparenzstelle für Kraftstoffe (MTS-K), run by the Bundeskartellamt — that's the feed consumer apps (Tankerkönig, clever-tanken, etc.) actually pull from.
Austria: Price rises are allowed once per day, at 12:00. The tighter "Mon/Wed/Fri only" rule introduced in 2023 expired in April 2026 and wasn't extended. Cuts are permitted at any time, so later in the day you may see a station drop below its morning rate.

General rules that work everywhere

Fill up before crossing a border if the next country is more expensive. Check roughly what prices look like in each country you'll pass through and plan your stops accordingly.
Avoid motorway services everywhere. This applies in every European country. The premium over a nearby town station is always there, and it's always avoidable with a short detour.
Supermarkets are your friend. In France, Spain, Portugal and the UK, supermarket fuel stations are reliably the cheapest option. Look for them on the edge of towns near motorway junctions.
Check prices before you stop. With official price data available in every country FuelHound covers, you can see what stations near the next junction are charging before you commit to a stop.
Watch the fuel type names. "Unleaded" has different names in different countries — Sans Plomb 95 in France, Benzina in Italy, Gasolina 95 in Spain. Make sure you're putting the right fuel in your car. Diesel is generally easier — Gazole, Gasolio, Gasóleo are all obviously diesel.

Don't forget the exchange rate

If you're a UK driver paying in euros, the pound-euro exchange rate affects how much you're really paying. A strong pound makes European fuel cheaper in real terms; a weak pound narrows or eliminates the saving. Check the rate before your trip and factor it into your planning — but don't overthink it. The biggest savings come from where you fill up, not when.

Try FuelHound

Live fuel prices across the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany and Austria. One app, all from official data feeds.

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The bottom line

You don't need to obsess over fuel prices to save money on a European road trip. Three simple habits cover most of it: avoid motorway services, use supermarket stations, and check prices before you stop. The data is freely available in every country — it just needs to be in your pocket when you need it.