FuelWide

PortugalvsSpain

Which side to fill up on · petrol 95 · week of 2026-08-31
Spain is cheaper
€0.28/L

14.0% less than Portugal — that is €14.05 on a 50-litre tank.

Per litre Portugal SpainDifference
Petrol 95
€2.01
€1.73
€0.28 · €14.05/tank
Diesel
€2.03
€1.87
€0.16 · €8.20/tank
LPG
€0.89
€1.09
€0.20 · €10.10/tank
Pump prices including all duties and taxes · also $8.85 vs $7.61 per US gallon for petrol.

Where the €0.28 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
€0.28
what you actually pay
Difference in the fuel
€0.03
before duty and VAT
Difference in tax
€0.25
90% of the whole gap

The fuel itself is more expensive before tax in Spain. It is cheaper at the pump anyway, purely because Spain taxes it less than Portugal does.

Portugal
Petrol 95€1.03 product + €0.98 taxes = €2.01
product 51%duties & taxes 49%
Spain
Petrol 95€1.06 product + €0.67 taxes = €1.73
product 61%duties & taxes 39%

Is the crossing worth it?

What you save by filling up in Spain, against what the detour costs you at €1.73/L and 7 L/100 km.

Tank filledYou saveWorth a detour of
40 L€11.24up to 93 km round trip
50 L€14.05up to 116 km round trip
60 L€16.86up to 139 km round trip
70 L€19.67up to 162 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 Portugal fuel prices →

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

All Spain fuel prices →

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

Other borders from here

Frequently asked questions

Is fuel cheaper in Portugal or Spain?

Spain is cheaper for petrol 95 — €1.73 per litre against €2.01 in Portugal, a difference of €0.28 per litre (14.0%). On a 50-litre tank that is €14.05 saved.

How much do I save filling up in Spain?

€14.05 on a 50-litre tank, €19.67 on a 70-litre one. Weigh that against the detour: if crossing costs you 20 extra kilometres, roughly €2.42 of that saving goes straight back into the tank.

Why is fuel cheaper in Spain than Portugal?

Tax, entirely. The fuel itself is actually more expensive before duty in Spain — the pump price is lower purely because excise duty and VAT are lower there.

How current are these prices?

Both sides are 2026-08-31 national averages including all duties and taxes — European Commission, DG Energy — Weekly Oil Bulletin for Portugal. Individual stations vary around the average, and forecourts right at a border crossing routinely price above it precisely because they can.