Brussels – Good news for travellers and consumers: the rise in petrol prices is easing. In June, the price of fuel for private transport in the EU fell by 5 per cent compared with May, with reductions at the pump for both diesel (-6.4 per cent) and petrol (-4.2 per cent). This across-the-board reduction partly follows the decline already recorded the previous month (in May, fuel costs were down by 1.9 per cent compared with April) and helps ease the cost of everyday living for men and women across the EU.
However, the figures released today (22 July) by Eurostat are not straightforward to interpret. The month-on-month falls in prices at the pump contrast with prices that remain high year-on-year: the European Statistical Office shows that, in June 2026, the average price of fuels and lubricants for private transport rose 13.7 per cent compared with June 2025. This increase comes on top of those – again on an annual basis – of 20.7 per cent in May (from May 2025) and 20.8 per cent in April (from April 2025). Eurostat attributes the issue partly to the war in Iran and the impact on energy: “In all EU countries, fuels and lubricants prices kept rising in June 2026, compared with June 2025, but at a slower pace than in May 2026.”
In light of these price levels – which are, however, still high compared with a year ago – the downward trend on a month-on-month basis stands out, particularly for diesel: for this type of fuel, “between May and June 2026, prices fell in all EU countries,” notes Eurostat. The largest decreases were recorded in the Czech Republic (-11.3 per cent), Poland (-9.7 per cent), and Bulgaria (-9.4 per cent), while the smallest decreases were in Hungary (-0.6 per cent), Italy (-1.4 per cent), and Slovenia (-1.6 per cent).
The situation is different for petrol: as regards petrol prices, Cyprus (+0.7 per cent) and Italy (+0.5 per cent) were the only EU countries to record increases between May and June 2026. The remaining countries recorded decreases, with the most significant in Sweden (-7.8 per cent), Belgium (-7.0 per cent), and Poland (-6.6 per cent).
