The average cost of filling a 50-litre tank in the European Union reached about €103 for petrol and €108 for diesel, according to European Commission data covering more than two decades. On 14 September, petrol averaged €2.063 per litre and diesel €2.159, the highest readings in the Commission’s series, which began in 2005. The figures include taxes and were published in the Commission’s Weekly Oil Bulletin on 17 September. Prices varied widely, with petrol ranging from €1.34 per litre in Malta to €2.56 in Denmark, while diesel ranged from €1.21 in Malta to €2.51 in Finland. Fuel prices have risen since the war with Iran began at the end of February and disrupted flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude climbed above $126 a barrel during the conflict and was trading above $104 for delivery the following month on Friday, compared with about $72 before the war. Eurozone (countries using the euro) energy inflation rose to 14.3% in August from 10.3% in July, according to the European Central Bank. Since the beginning of 2026, the weighted EU average petrol price has increased about 29%, while diesel has risen almost 40%. Higher crude prices are only one part of the increase: refining margins (the gap between crude and refined-product prices), distribution costs, excise duties and value-added tax also affect pump prices. An ECB blog said crude oil accounted for less than a quarter of the euro-area pump price in its July calculations, while excise duties and VAT represented about 44% of diesel and 52% of petrol prices. ECB experts estimated that in the third week of September, refining margins contributed €0.41 per litre, or 19% of the pump price, to euro-area diesel and €0.17, or 8%, to petrol. Petrol margins appeared to have peaked in August, based on refined petrol futures from LSEG on 16 September, while diesel margins were expected to peak in October. The ECB warned on 10 September that renewed energy-supply disruptions could push prices higher for longer. It said prices would need an end to the Middle East conflict, normalized flows through the Strait of Hormuz and restored global refining activity to fall, although disruptions to Russian refining capacity could keep margins elevated even after the conflict ends.