Ask a driver in Munich or Passau where to fill up and the answer is reflexive: in Austria. The reflex is well founded, and the reason is not the oil market. It is tax law.
Germany levies an excise duty of 65.5 cents per litre on petrol and 47.0 cents on diesel. Austria charges 48.2 and 39.7 cents respectively (2026 rates compiled by the Tax Foundation). On top of the excise, Germany adds its national CO2 price on transport fuels, which Austria's system prices differently. Before a single market force acts, German fuel starts roughly 17 cents per litre deeper in the hole for petrol.
What the gap is worth today
Live, as of 20 July 2026: petrol averages 2.16 €/L in Germany versus 1.81 €/L in Austria, a gap of 0.35 €/L. On a 55-litre tank that is about 19.14 €. For diesel the difference is currently 0.23 €/L per litre, or 12.56 € per tank.
These are national averages; the practical gap at the border is what counts. Austrian stations just across from Passau, Freilassing or Lindau know exactly why German plates queue at their pumps, and price accordingly, so compare specific stations on the live map rather than assuming any Austrian pump beats any German one.
When crossing pays
The arithmetic is simple. A detour only for fuel pays when the saving on your fill exceeds the cost of the extra kilometres. At a 15-cent gap and 55 litres, the saving is about 8 euros, which covers roughly 60 extra kilometres in a typical petrol car before you break even. For anyone living or working within about 20 kilometres of the border, or driving to Austria anyway for a holiday, filling up on the Austrian side is close to free money.
One caution for the return leg: German law allows only 20 litres of fuel in canisters to be imported per vehicle. Fill the tank, not the boot.
Both countries' full price pictures are on our country pages: Germany and Austria.
Cover photo: Sietze Kraak, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
