Pump prices in the EU rose sharply twice in 2026, in March and again from July. In the European Commission’s bulletin for the week of 21 September 2026, petrol averaged €2.092 a litre across the EU, 47 cents more than a year earlier, and diesel €2.226, 69 cents more. Governments answered in four different ways: cutting tax, capping the pump price, capping margins, or limiting when a station may raise its price. Malta, which fixes its prices, did not need to. This guide sets out who did what, with the dates, so you know which rules apply where you are driving.
How the year went at the pump
The Commission’s weekly bulletin gives one average price with taxes for the whole EU. In the week of 2 March 2026 it was €1.665 for petrol and €1.629 for diesel. Three weeks later, in the week of 23 March, it was €1.893 and €2.064. Prices eased through June, to €1.757 and €1.716 in the week of 29 June, then climbed again every month to the September figures above. Most of the measures below date from the March jump, which is why several of them ended in June or July.
Four kinds of measure
A tax cut lowers the price at every station at once, and the state pays for it. It ends on a fixed date, when the tax comes back in one step.
A maximum price sets a ceiling at the pump, usually worked out each day from wholesale prices plus a fixed margin. A station may sell below it but not above it.
A margin cap limits how much each link in the chain may add to the price it paid, without fixing the price itself.
A timing rule does not lower the price. It limits when a station may raise it, so that a driver can predict the cheapest time of day.
Who did what in 2026
| Country | Kind | What it does | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | Tax cut | VAT on petrol and diesel cut from 23% to 8%; excise cut by 29 grosz a litre on petrol and 28 grosz on diesel (programme CPN). | From March 2026; extended in May to 15 June 2026. |
| Ireland | Tax cut | Excise cut by 15 cents a litre on petrol and 20 cents on diesel in March, then by a further 10 cents on both: 27 and 32 cents in total, VAT included. The carbon tax rise due on 1 May was put off until the Budget. | Second cut from 14 April to 31 July 2026; an extension was under discussion in September. |
| Czechia | Maximum price | A maximum pump price for petrol and diesel, published daily by the Ministry of Finance: a three-day average of wholesale prices plus a margin of at most 3 koruna a litre, later 2.50. Diesel excise cut by 1.939 koruna to 8.011 koruna a litre, the EU minimum. | 8 April to the end of May 2026; again 1 to 31 October 2026. |
| Greece | Margin cap | At most 5 cents a litre between the refinery price and the price to the station, and 12 cents at the station, on unleaded 95 and diesel, with an allowance for shipping to the islands and fines of up to €5 million. | 11 March to 30 June 2026. |
| Germany | Timing rule | Stations may raise the price of Super E5, E10 and diesel only once a day, at 12 noon; cuts are allowed at any time. Fines of up to €100,000. The Federal Cartel Office also gained stronger powers against excessive prices. | From 1 April 2026, to be reviewed after a year. |
| Austria | Timing rule | The same noon rule, in force since 2009. For a few weeks in spring 2026 increases were limited further, to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. | Extended in December 2025 to the end of 2028; the three-day variant ended on 12 April 2026. |
| Sweden | Tax cut | Fuel taxes lowered to the EU minimum from 1 May to 30 September 2026, then a further cut of 2.40 kronor a litre before VAT, about 3 kronor with VAT. | 1 May to 30 September 2026; the further cut 1 July to 30 November 2026. |
| Malta | State-set price | Pump prices held fixed by the state-owned importer Enemed with government support: €1.34 a litre for petrol and €1.21 for diesel. | Unchanged since 2021. |
| Belgium | Maximum price | A legal maximum price for each fuel, set by the Federal Public Service Economy under a programme contract with the oil sector. It predates 2026 and moves with the market. | Standing rule; for example €2.108 for Euro 95 E10 and €2.494 for diesel B7 from 26 September 2026. |
Where those countries stand now
The weekly bulletin cannot say what a single measure achieved, because pump prices also move with crude oil, refining margins and the exchange rate. It can show where each country stood in the week of 21 September 2026, and how far its prices moved over the year.
| Country | Petrol 95 | On a year earlier | Diesel | On a year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EU average | €2.092 | +47 ct | €2.226 | +69 ct |
| Germany | €2.348 | +63 ct | €2.457 | +87 ct |
| Austria | €1.925 | +42 ct | €2.238 | +72 ct |
| Belgium | €1.988 | +45 ct | €2.387 | +76 ct |
| Czechia | €1.884 | +47 ct | €2.071 | +70 ct |
| Greece | €2.197 | +44 ct | €2.224 | +68 ct |
| Poland | €1.820 | +46 ct | €2.039 | +66 ct |
| Ireland | €1.945 | +24 ct | €2.050 | +39 ct |
| Sweden | €1.579 | +14 ct | €2.090 | +60 ct |
| Malta | €1.340 | +0 ct | €1.210 | +0 ct |
Malta’s prices did not move at all, because the state holds them. Of the rest, Sweden’s petrol rose least over the year, 14 cents, and Ireland’s 24 cents for petrol and 39 cents for diesel. Germany’s rose most, 63 and 87 cents; its measure is a timing rule, which is not meant to lower the price.
What this means when you drive
- Check the end date. A temporary tax cut ends on a known day, and the tax returns at once. Filling up the day before it ends is worth a known amount; the day after, you pay the full rate.
- Under a maximum price, the ceiling is not the price. In Czechia and Belgium a station may sell below the published maximum, so compare stations as usual.
- Under a noon rule, fill up before noon. In Germany and Austria a price can only go up at 12 o’clock. In May 2026 the ADAC found the cheapest time in Germany was shortly before noon.
- Across a border, the gap can change overnight. A neighbour’s tax cut or its end moves the difference at once; where to fill up before a border lists the gaps as they stood in September.
The country pages linked in the table describe each rule in more detail, and fuel prices in Europe this week updates the averages every week.