Many Dutch people can refuel cheaply in neighboring countries while on vacation. Those who take a smart detour can save tens of euros. Due to the rapidly rising oil prices, it even yields slightly more this year.
In few places in Europe is the petrol price as high as in the Netherlands. This is because the government charges a lot of excise duty on a liter plus VAT on the increased amount. More will be added next year. According to the ANWB monitor, the Dutch petrol price (Euro 95 or E10) currently averages €1.90 per liter. According to UnitedConsumers, which calculates the average recommended price of the five largest oil companies, this even rises to €2.11 at some petrol stations. The price difference is because Dutch petrol stations often stunt with discounts.
If you go on holiday by car within Europe, you pay about 30 cents less per liter. Anyone who calculates smartly can even save money with a detour. “Also for abroad: you will find a lower petrol price if you go a few kilometers off the highway,” UnitedConsumers director Paul van Selms tells NU.nl. “You will find the best prices in the small towns.”
Belgium now charges an average of €1.60 for a liter of petrol. France and Germany are about 10 cents above that and in Luxembourg you even pay less: €1.47 per liter. Detouring for refueling in Luxembourg can therefore easily yield money, provided you calculate well. A full tank is about 45 liters. That costs €85.50 in the Netherlands and €72 in Belgium. The profit is therefore €13.50. If your car consumes 1 liter per 15 kilometers, you can drive a maximum of 101 kilometers back and forth if you want to keep money from your trip to Belgium.
In Luxembourg you pay €66.15 for 45 liters. With the same calculation, you can then drive a maximum of 44 kilometers back and forth from Belgium to save on a tank of Euro 95. People who drive to Italy can best refuel their car in Austria. There the petrol prices are lower than in Germany and Italy.
Especially advantage with petrol
Due to the unrest in the Middle East, the oil price has risen rapidly in the past year. In the Netherlands, the petrol price rose faster than in surrounding countries, making the price difference larger. Van Selms estimates that you save 20 to 30 euros on a long holiday trip. “You can buy some ice creams and drinks from that.”
Those who drive diesel benefit less from small price differences. In the Netherlands the average price is 1.81 euros per liter, in Belgium and Monaco €1.70 and in Germany and France around €1.60. Then you might save a tenner on a tank.
Reduce consumption
An ANWB spokesman advises to inflate the car tires well before departure. Then the car consumes less petrol. You can find the recommended tire pressure in the manual of your car or on a sticker in the fuel filler flap or on the edge of a door. Also remove the luggage rack from your car if you don’t need it: then the car catches less wind. “With this preparation you can consume up to 10 percent less fuel while driving,” says the ANWB spokesman.
UnitedConsumers and the ANWB warn against long waiting times at cheap petrol stations. Due to the holiday period, a waiting time of up to twenty minutes at a Luxembourg petrol station is not crazy these weeks. “Refueling as cheaply as possible on holiday has become a national sport,” says Van Selms. “You can ask yourself: is it worth the time to drive half an hour for a few euros? I think for many Dutch people it is.”