The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Holidaymakers motoring in Europe warned of high fuel costs
Holidaymakers motoring around Europe this summer are facing steep price hikes, but some destinations will still offer fuel for less than £1 per litre, research has found.
Post Office Travel Money said drivers would still find unleaded petrol for under £1 per litre in Andorra and Austria, while in Spain and Luxembourg, diesel could be bought for under £1 per litre.
For the sixth year running in its Motoring on the Continent Report, the cheapest fuel was found in Andorra, situated near France and Spain. Unleaded petrol there could be bought for 95p a litre, while diesel there cost 81p a litre, the research found.
Norway was found to be the most expensive place to drive in the survey of fuel costs in 20 European countries, including the UK.
Unleaded petrol was found to cost £1.56 per litre there, while diesel cost around £1.44.
Austria was the second cheapest destination for fuel, with unleaded petrol at 98p and diesel at 90p a litre.
Post Office research found that one in eight (12%) holidaymakers planning trips abroad would go on a motoring holiday this year.
An increase in crude oil costs has been compounded by falls in sterling’s value since last summer, pushing the cost of fuel abroad higher for holidaymakers, Post Office Travel Money said.
It found the biggest increase at the pumps had been in Greece, where a litre of unleaded petrol had surged from £1.04 last year to £1.46, a rise of 42p.
Although the cost of diesel there was lower, at £1.16 per litre, this still represented a 39p, or 51% increase from a year ago, when it was 77p, the survey found.
Andrew Brown, head of Post Office Travel Money, said: “If you are driving to France, Belgium or Ireland in a petrol car it will make sense to fill up in the UK as pump prices are lower than in these countries.
“The reverse is true if you are travelling in a diesel car. It will be better to wait until you reach foreign soil before detouring to the nearest supermarket because pump prices are lower than on main roads.”