Belgian E10 averages EUR 0.395 a litre less than Dutch, diesel only EUR 0.082: before filling 50 litres, subtract the fuel the detour burns

If you live in Limburg, Brabant or near the German border, you have probably heard a neighbour say they fill up in Belgium now. Figures from the Dutch central bank DNB back that up: in the first half of 2026, Dutch card payments at Belgian and German fuel stations rose 20%, about EUR 25 million more was spent there, and transactions at Dutch stations fell 3%. The NOS report compared with the Dutch recommended price (adviesprijs), around EUR 2.73 a litre today, which makes Belgium look 50 cents cheaper. But the adviesprijs is a list price, and actual pump prices average lower. On ANWB's European averages updated on 29 September, the Netherlands is at EUR 2.441 for E10 and EUR 2.516 for diesel; Belgium EUR 2.046 and EUR 2.434; Germany EUR 2.243 and EUR 2.394. That changes the answer: petrol in Belgium saves EUR 0.395 a litre, diesel only EUR 0.082. Next step: add the detour to the sum below.

• Work out your own saving: net saving = litres x price gap per litre - extra return kilometres x consumption per 100 km / 100 x local price. A car on E10 filling 50 litres in Belgium saves 50 x 0.395 = EUR 19.75; if that means an extra 30 km there and back at 6 litres per 100 km, the detour burns 1.8 litres, about EUR 4.39, leaving roughly EUR 15.36.
• Diesel drivers should be careful: the same 50 litres of Belgian diesel is only EUR 0.082 cheaper, EUR 4.10 in total, while the 1.8 litres of diesel for a 30 km detour cost about EUR 4.53, so you end up EUR 0.43 down. German diesel is EUR 0.122 cheaper, EUR 6.10 on 50 litres, which shrinks to EUR 1.57 after the detour. Luxembourg is the clearest case: E10 averages EUR 1.887, EUR 0.554 below the Dutch price.
• The fuel names change: at Belgian pumps petrol is labelled Sans Plomb 95 or SP95-E10 and diesel may say Gazole; in Germany petrol is Superbenzin or Super 95 (E5 is also sold). ANWB warns that some German stations still sell 91-octane petrol, which most cars should not take, and that cheap German biodiesel is only for vehicles the manufacturer has approved, so do not let the price tempt you into the wrong nozzle.
• Check before you go: an average is not the station you will use, and the ANWB Onderweg app shows live prices for each station on your route. It pays most when you are going anyway: DNB also counted 14.5 million Dutch card payments in supermarkets across the border in the first half of the year, more than double the same period of 2022, so many people combine the fill-up with shopping or a day out.

Hokimi field note: check first whether your car runs on petrol or diesel before planning a special trip; with a diesel, only fill up across the border when you are already heading to Belgium or Germany. Sources: source 1, source 2, source 3, source 4, checked on 2026-09-29.