Diesel Prices Worldwide: EU, UK and US Compared
Diesel averaged $9.08 a gallon across the EU-27 in the week of Oct 12, 2026, $10.09 in the UK and $6.18 in the US — Europe pays 47% more, mostly because of tax. Finland is the most expensive EU country at $10.78 a gallon; below, all 27 are ranked with the tax share of each pump price. EU and UK figures are official weekly national averages, converted at the ECB rate.
Diesel Pump Prices by Country, Week of Oct 12, 2026
US dollars at the ECB rate of Oct 19, 2026 · all taxes included| # | Country | $/gal | $/litre | Local price | Before tax $/gal | Tax share | vs last week | vs year ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finland | 10.78 | 2.847 | €2.536/L | 6.42 | 40% | −0.7% | +61% |
| 2 | Denmark | 10.63 | 2.808 | €2.502/L | 6.08 | 43% | +0.5% | +44% |
| 3 | Netherlands | 10.55 | 2.786 | €2.482/L | 6.34 | 40% | −1.0% | +46% |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 10.09 | 2.667 | 200.0p/L | 5.74 | 43% | +0.3% | +40% |
| 5 | Belgium | 9.92 | 2.621 | €2.335/L | 5.65 | 43% | −0.6% | +43% |
| 6 | France | 9.89 | 2.613 | €2.328/L | 5.66 | 43% | −1.2% | +45% |
| 7 | Germany | 9.65 | 2.548 | €2.270/L | 6.02 | 38% | +0.7% | +43% |
| 8 | Italy | 9.52 | 2.515 | €2.241/L | 4.94 | 48% | −1.4% | +38% |
| 9 | Lithuania | 9.37 | 2.475 | €2.205/L | 5.39 | 42% | −1.6% | +51% |
| 10 | Ireland | 9.19 | 2.429 | €2.164/L | 5.89 | 36% | +0.0% | +30% |
| 11 | Austria | 9.19 | 2.427 | €2.162/L | 5.63 | 39% | +1.1% | +43% |
| 12 | Portugal | 9.13 | 2.411 | €2.148/L | 5.56 | 39% | −0.3% | +39% |
| 13 | EU-27 average | 9.08 | 2.398 | €2.136/L | 5.66 | 38% | −0.6% | +40% |
| 14 | Greece | 9.00 | 2.377 | €2.118/L | 5.45 | 39% | −2.2% | +38% |
| 15 | Latvia | 8.80 | 2.326 | €2.072/L | 5.59 | 37% | −2.3% | +36% |
| 16 | Sweden | 8.71 | 2.301 | €2.050/L | 6.37 | 27% | −3.2% | +38% |
| 17 | Luxembourg | 8.69 | 2.296 | €2.045/L | 5.63 | 35% | −0.6% | +45% |
| 18 | Romania | 8.67 | 2.291 | €2.041/L | 5.49 | 37% | −0.4% | +36% |
| 19 | Cyprus | 8.59 | 2.268 | €2.021/L | 5.77 | 33% | −0.5% | +40% |
| 20 | Estonia | 8.55 | 2.260 | €2.013/L | 5.08 | 41% | −4.0% | +55% |
| 21 | Croatia | 8.30 | 2.193 | €1.954/L | 5.58 | 33% | −1.5% | +38% |
| 22 | Hungary | 8.25 | 2.180 | €1.942/L | 4.97 | 40% | +0.7% | +31% |
| 23 | Czechia | 8.16 | 2.157 | €1.921/L | 5.35 | 34% | −1.6% | +41% |
| 24 | Slovakia | 8.15 | 2.154 | €1.919/L | 4.90 | 40% | −2.7% | +32% |
| 25 | Slovenia | 8.15 | 2.153 | €1.918/L | 5.18 | 36% | −3.2% | +29% |
| 26 | Spain | 8.03 | 2.121 | €1.889/L | 5.87 | 27% | −1.5% | +34% |
| 27 | Bulgaria | 7.96 | 2.103 | €1.874/L | 5.23 | 34% | −1.0% | +56% |
| 28 | Poland | 7.63 | 2.015 | €1.795/L | 5.69 | 25% | +1.7% | +29% |
| 29 | United States | 6.18 | 1.632 | $6.179/gal | — | — | −0.3% | — |
| 30 | Malta | 5.14 | 1.358 | €1.210/L | 2.35 | 54% | +0.0% | +0% |
EU rows: European Commission Weekly Oil Bulletin, price of automotive gas oil (diesel) for the Monday of Oct 12, 2026, national averages as reported by member states. UK: DESNZ weekly road fuel prices, ULSD, week of Oct 12, 2026; the UK before-tax figure removes the 52.95p fuel duty and 20% VAT. US: EIA on-highway diesel, week of Oct 12, 2026; the EIA does not publish a before-tax series, so no US tax share is shown (the federal excise alone is 24.4¢ a gallon, and states add their own). "Local price" is the figure in the source's own units. Changes are calculated in local currency. Tax shares depend on which levies each country reports as taxes, so treat them as approximate and the outliers (Sweden is low, Malta high) with care. See also US diesel by region and the diesel market dashboard.
What the Gap Is Made Of
Tax explains most of it
- Taxes make up 38% of the average EU pump price, ranging from 25% in Poland to 54% in Malta.
- Before tax the EU average is $5.66 a gallon. The US pump price, $6.18, already includes the 24.4¢ federal excise and each state's tax.
- In the UK 43% of the pump price is fuel duty (52.95p a litre) and VAT (20%).
Same crude, same diesel
- Diesel is priced off one global market: NYMEX ULSD futures in New York and ICE gasoil in London move together, so a crude spike lifts pump prices everywhere.
- What differs is the layer on top: excise rates, VAT, retail margins and distribution costs. A fixed per-litre tax is a smaller share of a high price, so percentage moves are larger where tax is low (the US) than where it is high.
- For what drives the wholesale price itself, see the diesel market dashboard and why diesel is so expensive.
EU Diesel Price, Last Three Years
Weekly Oil Bulletin prices in euros per litre, including all taxes unless marked. The gap between the two EU lines is tax. Native currency, so no exchange-rate effect.
UK Diesel Price, Last Three Years
DESNZ weekly ULSD pump price, pence per litre, all taxes included.
EU-27 Diesel Price by Year
| Year | Average, EUR per litre | Highest week | Weeks in average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | €1.334 | €1.380 | 49 |
| 2020 | €1.156 | €1.359 | 50 |
| 2021 | €1.359 | €1.510 | 49 |
| 2022 | €1.821 | €2.033 | 51 |
| 2023 | €1.672 | €1.795 | 52 |
| 2024 | €1.604 | €1.709 | 53 |
| 2025 | €1.552 | €1.639 | 52 |
| 2026 (so far) | €1.896 | €2.237 | 41 |
Simple average of the Commission's weekly EU-27 pump prices, tax included, in euros (not inflation-adjusted). The US equivalent is on US diesel price history.
Worldwide Diesel Prices FAQ
Which European country has the most expensive diesel?
Finland, at $10.78 a gallon ($2.847 a litre) in the week of Oct 12, 2026. Malta is the cheapest EU member at $5.14 a gallon — an outlier, because its pump prices are regulated. Across the EU-27 the average is $9.08 a gallon.
Is diesel cheaper in the US than in Europe?
Yes. US diesel averages $6.18 a gallon (EIA, week of Oct 12, 2026) against $9.08 for the EU-27 and $10.09 for the UK, which is 47% more. Most of the difference is tax: before tax the EU average is $5.66 a gallon, which is within $0.52 of the US pump price.
How much of European diesel prices is tax?
On average 38% of the EU pump price is tax (VAT plus fuel excise), from 25% in Poland to 54% in Malta. The US federal diesel excise is 24.4 cents a gallon, about 4% of the US pump price, before state taxes are added.
Where do these diesel prices come from?
The EU figures are the European Commission's Weekly Oil Bulletin, which collects each member state's national average pump price for the Monday of the week. The UK figure is the weekly road fuel survey from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). The US figure is the EIA's Monday retail survey. All three are official statistics, published weekly.
How are prices converted to dollars?
EU prices are published in euros per 1,000 litres and the UK's in pence per litre. We convert at the latest ECB reference rate (Oct 19, 2026) and then to US gallons at 3.785 litres. Because the rate is a single recent day, week-on-week and year-on-year changes are calculated in each country's own currency, so they are not distorted by exchange-rate moves.
Why is Malta's diesel so cheap?
Malta sets its pump prices by regulation, so the figure barely moves from week to week, unlike the market-driven prices elsewhere in the EU. It is the lowest in the bulletin by a wide margin.