The cost of fuel and lubricants in Ukraine in July 2026 was 28% higher than a year earlier, while the average increase across the European Union amounted to 16.9%, according to an analysis by the Experts Club information and analytical centre based on data from Eurostat and the State Statistics Service of Ukraine.
Thus, the annual rate of fuel price growth in Ukraine was 11.1 percentage points higher than the EU average and approximately 1.66 times the European level.
Eurostat published data on fuel price dynamics on August 21, 2026. The statistics cover HICP category CP0722 — “fuels and lubricants for personal transport equipment,” which includes gasoline and diesel fuel, among other products.
Romania led the EU in fuel price growth
In July 2026, fuel and lubricants became more expensive year-on-year in 25 of the 27 EU member states.
Eurostat recorded the largest increases in:
Romania — by 24.2%;
Germany — by 22.9%;
Lithuania — by 22.9%;
Bulgaria — by 22.2%;
the Netherlands — by 22%;
Finland — by 20.5%.
All these figures significantly exceeded the EU average of 16.9%.
For comparison, the cost of fuel increased by 16.7% in Portugal, 12.5% in Italy, 9.9% in Cyprus, 3.2% in Ireland and 1.2% in Sweden.
Malta was the only country where prices remained unchanged. Eurostat explains this by the fact that retail fuel prices in the country have remained fixed since 2020.
In Hungary, the cost of fuel and lubricants decreased by 0.1%, making it the only EU member state with negative annual dynamics.
According to the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, fuel and lubricants in July 2026 were 28% more expensive than in July 2025.
Thus, if Ukraine were conditionally placed alongside EU countries solely based on the percentage change in fuel costs, it would rank above Romania, with its figure of 24.2%.
At the same time, Experts Club notes that such a comparison is indicative.
Eurostat calculates indicators for EU member states based on the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices, or HICP, using a common European methodology. Ukraine’s figure of 28% was calculated by the State Statistics Service within the framework of the national consumer price index. Therefore, it would be incorrect to officially include Ukraine in the Eurostat ranking.
Nevertheless, the comparison makes it possible to assess the scale of the increase in fuel expenses for Ukrainian households and businesses.
The gap between fuel price dynamics and overall inflation in Ukraine is particularly noticeable.
Annual consumer inflation in the country amounted to 7.7% in July 2026, while fuel and lubricants rose in price by 28%.
In other words, fuel prices increased approximately 3.6 times faster than the overall consumer price index.
Since the beginning of 2026, fuel prices in Ukraine have increased by 26.5%. At the same time, a slight price decline of 0.1% was recorded in July compared with June.
The increase in fuel costs is already affecting transport expenses. Road passenger transportation in Ukraine was 30.8% more expensive in July than a year earlier, while transport services overall were 28.9% more expensive.
Following a decline in prices in June, the European fuel market returned to growth in July.
On average across the EU, diesel fuel rose in price by 4.3% over the month and gasoline by 4.7%.
Diesel prices increased most sharply in Poland, by 13.4% over the month, followed by Germany at 12.7% and Greece at 12.1%.
Poland led in gasoline price growth, with prices rising by as much as 17.2%. Gasoline became 11% more expensive in Germany and 7.1% more expensive in Spain.
At the same time, fuel prices declined in some countries. The price of diesel fell by 7.9% in Cyprus, 7.4% in Sweden and 6.4% in Ireland. Gasoline became 11.1% cheaper in Sweden, 5.4% cheaper in Cyprus and 4.1% cheaper in Ireland.
The dynamics of the European market remain unstable. In May 2026, fuel and lubricants in the EU were 20.7% more expensive than a year earlier. In June, the growth rate slowed to 13.7%, before accelerating again to 16.9% in July.
Experts Club analysts emphasise that the ranking reflects the rate of price change, rather than the absolute cost of a litre of gasoline or diesel fuel. Therefore, a country with a small percentage increase may continue to have significantly higher retail prices at filling stations than a country ranked among the leaders in terms of price dynamics.
Differences between countries are influenced by the level of excise duties and other taxes, retail pricing mechanisms, exchange rates in countries outside the euro area, the structure of oil refining and petroleum product imports, as well as the comparative base from the previous year.
The study was prepared by the Experts Club information and analytical centre based on statistics from Eurostat and the State Statistics Service of Ukraine.
