Eurostat has published data relating to the prices of the main fuels and lubricants in March 2026. The increases are notable both compared to the equivalent period in 2025 and to the previous month
The war in the Middle East between the US-Israel axis and Iran has resulted in a huge decline in activity in the Strait of Hormuz and consequently an increase in the price of some major raw materials, including oil and gas. A situation that has also led to an increase in the cost of the two main fuels for mobility, namely petrol and diesel. One of the regions most affected by these increases is Europe, which has forced several governments, including the Italian one, to take extraordinary measures to avoid a surge in prices. However, as the data confirms Eurostat relating to the prices of the main fuels and lubricants in the month of March 2026, the high price of petrol (and especially that of diesel) has affected almost all the countries of the European Union. So let’s find out which member states face the greatest increases and those in which they were more limited.
the comparison with 2025
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In the European Union as a whole, i Fuel and lubricants prices increased by 12.9% compared to March 2025. The largest increases were in Germany (+19.8%), Romania (+19.6%) and the Netherlands (+18.8%). Even in France the increases exceeded 15% compared to last year (over +10% in Spain), while in Italy they were below 5%. However, there are only two countries in which the price has fallen compared to March 2025: Hungary (-2.7%) and Slovenia (-5.9%).
the comparison with February 2026
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Even more impactful is the average increase in prices of the main fuels and lubricants recorded between February and March 2026. It should be remembered that the current conflict in the Middle East broke out on February 28, 2026, the day on which the United States and Israel launched their attack on Iran. In the EU as a whole the price of diesel increased by 19.1%. The most important increases were recorded in the Czech Republic and Sweden (+27.6%), Estonia (+26.8%), Latvia (+25.4%), the Netherlands (+25.2%) and Belgium (+25.1%). In general, excluding Slovenia and Hungary, where the increases for diesel were 2.9% and 7% respectively, in all EU countries the increases were instead at least 10% (over 20% for Germany and France, around 20% for Spain). More limited, but still significant, are the increases relating to gas, which were 10.6% in the Union. The countries that have suffered the most from the impact of these increases are Belgium (+15.1%), Sweden (+15%), Austria (+14.8%), the Czech Republic (+14.6%), Estonia and Lithuania (+14.2%). More content, according to data provided by Eurostatthe increases in Italy for this period, equal to 4.8% (the increase in diesel prices, however, was higher than 10%).
