The holidays are approaching and many Spaniards are preparing to travel through the country by car. The first stop at the petrol station, however, can be a damper on the motoring holiday fun.
Filling up with petrol or diesel is on average between €41 and €47 more expensive than a year ago, data from the European Union’s Oil Bulletin. Prices are further driven up by labour shortages, closed refineries and the war in Ukraine which is restricting supplies. Therefore, filling a 55-litre tank of diesel in Spain this week costs an average of €115.50. That is almost €47 more than a year ago.
Huge differences
A full tank of Euro 95 costs €117, compared to €76 a year ago. In Spain with €50 gasoline in the most common cars – with an average use of 6 litres fuel per 100 kilometres – you can travel 393 kilometres. However, this does not take into account any discounts or offers. In other countries you can often drive a bit further for the same money. In Germany it is up to 415 km, in Italy 403 km, in Portugal 398 km, in France 395 km, in the United Kingdom 375 km and in Denmark 360 km. Whereas, in the United States, the situation is much more favourable with 516 km.
Per capita income In making comparisons
The per capita income in each country has been taken into account. According to World Bank data, in Germany per capita income is about €43,000, while in Spain it is less than €26,000. So the difference of the 22 kilometres per tank in Germany’s favour is actually greater if we take into account the spending capacity of the German and Spanish wallets. Denmark, one of the richest countries, has a per capita income of almost €58,000. In Spain, you can drive 33 kilometres more with €50, but this is a relatively higher cost for a Spaniard.
Fuel prices in Spain are rising faster
The price of petrol depends on many variables, including taxes, government aid, refining costs, distribution and marketing. Spain has traditionally had some of the cheapest petrol and diesel prices in the European Union due to lower taxes. However, currently the price of petrol in Spain is the eighth highest in the EU, at €2.128 per litre, an unprecedented level. Only Finland (€2.523 per litre), Denmark (€2.435), Greece (€2.40), the Netherlands (€2.336), Sweden (€2.181), Ireland (€2.169) and Estonia (€2.147) have more expensive petrol. A year ago, the average petrol price in Spain was the fourteenth in the ranking, at €1.383 per litre.
