On 6 October 2025, the IRU published a study on the impact of fuel and toll costs for industrial vehicles in Europe, entitled “Driving profitability: Fuel, tolling and cost trends in the EU.” As of August 2025, the weighted average diesel price in the European Union stood at €1.54 per litre, down 2.6% year on year. Yet, behind this apparent stability lies a marked divergence between national markets, driven by tax disparities: from a low of €1.21 per litre in Malta to a high of €1.87 in Ireland.
According to the IRU, taxes account for around half of the final fuel price, although the degree of pressure varies significantly. Italy records the highest fiscal share in Europe, with excise duties and VAT making up 61% of the pump price. The European average excise duty is €0.45 per litre, but many countries – including Italy, France and Spain – refund part of it to freight operators, reducing total operating costs.
Diesel therefore remains the benchmark for road freight, but the composition of its price shows clear structural changes. Crude oil accounts for about 34% of the final cost, while distribution costs have risen sharply, reaching €0.21 per litre in 2024 – a 133% increase since 2015. By contrast, refining costs fell by 55% between 2022 and 2024, squeezing refinery margins.
Among alternative fuels, HVO biodiesel remains on average 22% more expensive than fossil diesel, except in Italy, where it is slightly cheaper. Compressed natural gas has shown reduced volatility since the energy crisis, with wholesale prices down to €0.55/kg in 2024. Natural gas trends also influence the cost of the AdBlue additive, whose average consumption represents about 5% of diesel volume.
On the tolling front, the IRU highlights that in distance-based charging countries – such as Austria, Hungary and Germany – per-kilometre costs can exceed fuel costs. In Germany, tolls account for up to 15% of total vehicle ownership costs, with rates reaching €0.62/km in Austria. The introduction of the CO2 component, under the revised Eurovignette Directive, has increased toll rates for Euro VI heavy vehicles in Germany by 83%, adding a third element to the system: in addition to infrastructure and environmental costs, a specific emissions tariff has now been included.
The new regulatory framework favours zero-emission vehicles. In Germany, a battery-electric truck is now more cost-effective in the long term than a diesel, despite a higher purchase price. According to IRU simulations, the average toll difference between a Euro 0–IV vehicle and a zero-emission one exceeds 60%.
Europe’s general trend is shifting towards distance-based tolling systems: Denmark has already introduced a new model with increases of up to 500% compared with the previous vignette system, while the Netherlands will implement a similar scheme in 2026.
The IRU’s analysis therefore indicates that the profitability of European road freight now depends less on crude oil prices and increasingly on national fiscal and environmental policies. Excise duties and CO2-based tolls are reshaping operational strategies and accelerating the shift towards low- or zero-emission fleets, with Italy positioned midway between high-tax countries and those already adopting new environmental tariff structures.
