Indicator Assessment
Transport fuel prices and taxes in Europe
Indicator Assessment
Prod-ID:
IND-114-en
Also known as:
TERM 021
Published 15 Mar 2016
Last modified 11 May 2021
11
min read
This is an old version, kept for reference only.
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Topics:
Transport
This page was archived on 09 Feb 2021 with reason:
Other
(Discontinued indicator)
- Since 1980, the real price of transport fuel has fluctuated between 0.75 and 1.25 EUR per litre, with an average of 0.98 EUR. This price covers
all transport fuels expressed as the equivalent consumption in unleaded petrol, corrected for inflation to 2005 prices and including taxes. - At just 0.96 EUR, the average European fuel price in December 2015 was slightly lower than the long-term average.
- The price of fuel is an important determinant of the demand for transport and the efficiency with which fuel is used. Both freight and transport demand have increased significantly over the past years.
- The level of internalisation of environmental externalities through fuel taxes has, however, not significantly changed during this period. Taxes on transport fuels have not been widely used in Europe as an environmental policy measure that directly influences transport demand levels, thereby reducing environmentally harmful effects caused by the sector.