Drivers in the Netherlands pay some of the highest pump prices anywhere in Europe. As a reference point, Euro 95 petrol averaged about €2.34 per litre and diesel about €2.31 in the Netherlands on 20 July 2026, roughly 30% above the EU-27 petrol average of €1.795 per litre (fuel-prices.eu). Those are external reference figures, not live Petromap numbers, because Petromap does not track Dutch stations. But it does track every country the Netherlands borders on the way to cheaper fuel.
That gap is why fuel tourism keeps growing. Dutch banks estimate that filling up in Belgium instead of at home saves roughly 25 to 30 euro on an average tank (ABN Amro, via NL Times), and the trend has spread to Germany since Berlin cut fuel excise (NL Times). The question is not whether to cross the border, but which one.
Here is the current picture across the four neighbours, computed from live prices at Petromap's tracked stations as of 27 July 2026:
| Country | Gasoline (€/L) | Diesel (€/L) |
|---|---|---|
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | 1.89 | 2.15 |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 2.17 | 2.19 |
| 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 1.77 | 1.89 |
| 🇫🇷 France | 2.04 | 2.20 |
Cheapest price per fuel in bold. Live averages in €/L. For context, the EU-wide petrol average is 1.90 €/L.
Belgium: the everyday border run
For most of the Randstad, the Rest of the country south of Eindhoven and the whole of Limburg and North Brabant, Belgium is the closest cheaper pump. Belgian petrol currently averages 1.89 €/L and diesel 2.15 €/L. Against the roughly €2.34 Dutch reference price, that is why an average tank comes out tens of euros cheaper just over the line near Antwerp, Turnhout or Maaseik.
Germany: cheaper again since the excise cut
Since Germany lowered fuel excise, more Dutch drivers from Twente, the Achterhoek and Limburg are crossing east. German petrol now averages 2.17 €/L and diesel 2.19 €/L. For anyone near Enschede, Nijmegen or Venlo, the German pumps just across the border are often the shortest detour to a full tank.
Luxembourg: worth it if you are heading south
Luxembourg has long kept the lowest fuel taxes in the region, which is why drivers from across the neighbourhood detour through it. Petrol there averages 1.77 €/L and diesel 1.89 €/L. It is too far for a routine top-up from the Netherlands, but if your route already runs south through Belgium towards France or the Alps, filling to the brim in Luxembourg is the classic move. Even between two neighbours the gap adds up: about 14.30 € per tank separates Belgian and Luxembourg diesel today.
France: for the south-west leg
If you are driving on towards France, note that French petrol averages 2.04 €/L and diesel 2.20 €/L. French prices vary a lot between motorway stations and the supermarket pumps (Leclerc, Carrefour, Intermarché) just off the exit, so the country page is worth a look before you commit to a motorway fill.
Three rules that survive any price change
- Never fill up on the motorway if you can avoid it. Motorway service stations carry a premium in every country here; supermarket and independent stations a few minutes off the exit are consistently cheaper.
- Compare before you cross. Border regions know about fuel tourism, and stations right at the border are sometimes priced accordingly. Check live prices around your actual crossing instead of assuming the first station is the cheapest.
- Diesel and petrol don't follow the same map. The cheapest country for one is not always the cheapest for the other, and the current gaps between Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and France (0.28 €/L on petrol alone) shift week to week. The right border to cross depends on what you drive.
Check your own route
All figures in this article are computed from the live prices Petromap tracks across Europe and refresh automatically, so the numbers you see are today's, not last month's. Open the live map to see prices along your exact route, or explore the country pages for Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg. Developers can pull the same data from our free API.
Cover photo: Markus Spiske on Unsplash (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons.
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