Significant increase in fuel prices in March 2026 – News articles

Up to February 2026, the price of fuels and lubricants for personal transport in the EU was generally decreasing, for the EU average and for most of EU countries. However, it increased significantly in March 2026. 

In March 2026, the price of fuels and lubricants in the EU increased by 12.9% compared with March 2025. Almost all EU countries saw price increases compared with March 2025 as well. The highest increases were recorded in Germany (+19.8%), Romania (+19.6%), the Netherlands (+18.8%), Latvia (+18.5%) and Austria (+17.2%). In Hungary and Slovenia, prices decreased by 2.7% and 5.9%, respectively, compared with March 2025; however, compared with February 2026, the decrease was not as pronounced. 

 Source dataset: prc_hicp_manr

Looking at diesel and petrol prices in the EU, in March 2026, they increased by 19.8% for diesel and 9.4% for petrol compared with March 2025. On a monthly basis, consumers saw diesel prices rise by 19.1% and petrol prices rise by 10.6% in the EU compared with February 2026. 

Prices for both types of fuel went up in all EU countries between February and March 2026. For diesel, the highest increases were in Czechia and Sweden (both +27.6%), Estonia (+26.8%), Latvia (+25.4%), Belgium (+25.2%) and the Netherlands (+25.1%), while the lowest increases were in Slovenia (+2.9%), Slovakia and Hungary (both +7.0%). All other EU countries saw increases above 10%. 

Among EU countries, petrol prices increases were not as high as those in diesel prices, reaching +15.1% in Belgium, +15.0% in Sweden, +14.8% in Austria, +14.6% in Czechia and +14.2% in Estonia and Lithuania. Again, the lowest monthly increases were registered in Slovenia (+2.4%), Slovakia (+3.8%), Hungary (+4.7%), as well as Italy (+4.8%). 

Source dataset: prc_hicp_manr