Fuel prices in the EU rose sharply in March 2026 after generally falling up to February.
The price of fuels and lubricants for personal transport increased by 12.9% across the EU in March 2026 compared with March 2025, Eurostat reported on Tuesday.
Almost all member states recorded annual rises, with the biggest increases in Germany (19.8%), Romania (19.6%) and the Netherlands (18.8%).
Hungary and Slovenia were the exceptions, with prices down 2.7% and 5.9% respectively compared with March 2025.
Diesel up more than petrol
Diesel prices across the EU were 19.8% higher in March 2026 than a year earlier, while petrol was up 9.4% over the same period, Eurostat said.
Compared with February 2026, diesel rose 19.1% and petrol increased 10.6% on average across the bloc.
Diesel prices rose in every EU country between February and March 2026, with the largest monthly increases in Czechia and Sweden (both 27.6%), followed by Estonia (26.8%) and Latvia (25.4%).
The smallest rises were in Slovenia (2.9%), Slovakia (7.0%) and Hungary (7.0%).
Petrol prices also rose in all member states over the month, but by less than diesel in most places, with the biggest increases in Belgium (15.1%) and Sweden (15.0%).
The lowest monthly rises were recorded in Slovenia (2.4%), Slovakia (3.8%) and Hungary (4.7%).
The figures are based on the EU’s Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) — a standard measure used to compare inflation across member states.
