Tankful
At today's prices in Germany, driving 100 km costs about €16.42 in a petrol car (7 l/100 km), €14.62 in a diesel (6 l/100 km) and €10.05 on LPG (9 l/100 km). An electric car using 17 kWh per 100 km costs from €4.27 when charged at home to €10.88 at a fast charger.
Cost of 100 km in Germany, France, Poland and the UK
| Fuel | Consumption | Germany | France | Poland | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol (95) | 7 l | €16.42 | €15.49 | €12.97 | €14.21 |
| Diesel | 6 l | €14.62 | €14.22 | €12.36 | €13.87 |
| LPG | 9 l | €10.05 | €9.11 | €6.72 | – |
| Electricity – home charging | 17 kWh | €4.27 | €4.27 | €4.27 | €4.27 |
| Electricity – fast charger | 17 kWh | €10.88 | €10.88 | €10.88 | €10.88 |
Fuel prices: national averages from 28 September 2026. For the EV we assume €0.25/kWh for home charging and €0.64/kWh at a fast charger – typical rates, but your tariff may differ.
How to work it out yourself
Cost of 100 km = consumption (l/100 km) × price per litre.
For example, a car using 7 l/100 km at €2.35/l spends €16.42 per 100 km. For any distance, multiply that by the number of kilometres and divide by 100. If you think in miles per gallon, divide 282.5 by your UK mpg (or 235.2 by US mpg) to get litres per 100 km. More examples in How to calculate the fuel cost of a trip.
Which car is cheapest to run
- LPG is usually the cheapest fuel per kilometre, even though a car on gas burns 15–30% more than on petrol. You do have to pay for the conversion and its servicing.
- Diesel uses less than petrol, so it's often cheaper per kilometre even when a litre costs more. The advantage grows on long trips.
- An EV charged at home is the cheapest of all. On a road trip using fast chargers, the cost approaches petrol and can exceed it.
What your real consumption depends on
The brochure figure comes from a test cycle; in practice you'll usually use more. Speed matters most: driving at 140 km/h instead of 110 km/h can raise consumption by 20–30%. Load, a roof box, air conditioning, winter and traffic jams add to it. If you know your car's consumption from the trip computer, enter it in the calculator – the result will be more accurate than with typical values.