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BelgiumvsNetherlands

Which side to fill up on · petrol 95 · week of 2026-07-20
Belgium is cheaper
€0.49/L

26.1% less than Netherlands — that is €24.25 on a 50-litre tank.

Per litre Belgium NetherlandsDifference
Petrol 95
€1.86
€2.34
€0.49 · €24.25/tank
Diesel
€2.06
€2.31
€0.25 · €12.50/tank
LPG
€0.82
€0.94
€0.12 · €6.00/tank
Pump prices including all duties and taxes · also $7.99 vs $10.08 per US gallon for petrol.

Where the €0.49 gap comes from

Petrol is the same product on both sides of this border, refined from the same crude. Stripping duty and VAT out of both pump prices shows how much of the difference is fuel — and how much is politics.

Difference at the pump
€0.49
what you actually pay
Difference in the fuel
€0.15
before duty and VAT
Difference in tax
€0.33
69% of the whole gap

69% of what you save by crossing into Belgium is tax you are not paying, not cheaper fuel. Before duty and VAT the two markets are within €0.15 a litre of each other.

Belgium
Petrol 95€0.93 product + €0.92 taxes = €1.86
product 50%duties & taxes 50%
Netherlands
Petrol 95€1.09 product + €1.26 taxes = €2.34
product 46%duties & taxes 54%

Is the crossing worth it?

What you save by filling up in Belgium, against what the detour costs you at €1.86/L and 7 L/100 km.

Tank filledYou saveWorth a detour of
40 L€19.40up to 149 km round trip
50 L€24.25up to 187 km round trip
60 L€29.10up to 224 km round trip
70 L€33.95up to 261 km round trip
Break-even distance only — it ignores your time, tolls and wear. Detour further than this and you are paying for the privilege of a cheaper price.
All Belgium fuel prices →

Trends, tax breakdown, city pages and station maps for Belgium.

All Netherlands fuel prices →

Trends, tax breakdown, city pages and station maps for Netherlands.

Other borders from here

Frequently asked questions

Is fuel cheaper in Belgium or Netherlands?

Belgium is cheaper for petrol 95 — €1.86 per litre against €2.34 in Netherlands, a difference of €0.49 per litre (26.1%). On a 50-litre tank that is €24.25 saved.

How much do I save filling up in Belgium?

€24.25 on a 50-litre tank, €33.95 on a 70-litre one. Weigh that against the detour: if crossing costs you 20 extra kilometres, roughly €2.60 of that saving goes straight back into the tank.

Why is fuel cheaper in Belgium than Netherlands?

69% of the €0.49 gap is tax, not fuel. Before duty and VAT the two countries' petrol differs by only €0.15 per litre — the rest is excise duty and VAT set differently either side of the border.

How current are these prices?

Both sides are 2026-07-20 national averages including all duties and taxes — European Commission — Weekly Oil Bulletin for Belgium. Individual stations vary around the average, and forecourts right at a border crossing routinely price above it precisely because they can.