Calculator
Pick fuel type (defaults the price to current Irish national average), enter your real-world L/100 km from your car's onboard computer or odo.ie history, your annual mileage and projection years. The calculator returns annual cost, monthly, per 100 km, and total over the projection.
Irish pump prices — May 2026
Verified May 2026 national-average prices from AA Ireland, FuelWatch.ie, GlobalPetrolPrices.com and Pumps.ie:
| Fuel | Late April 2026 | March 2026 | Δ since April excise cut |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol (Euro 95) | €1.82/L | €1.81/L | −4.61% in mid-April |
| Diesel | €2.05/L | €1.90/L (with cut applied) | −4.64% in mid-April |
Ireland's prices are 2.4% above the EU average for petrol and 7.3% above the EU average for diesel. The April 2026 excise duty cuts brought a one-time relief; the underlying trend (carbon tax escalator) is upward.
The national average masks meaningful local dispersion. Supermarket forecourts (Tesco, SuperValu, Dunnes) often price €0.03–€0.10/L below local branded competitors. Motorway service stations price €0.15–€0.20/L above the cheapest local options. Use pumps.ie or fuelwatch.ie before a long drive to find the cheapest local fill-up.
Real-world Irish consumption — typical L/100 km
| Vehicle class | WLTP combined (CoC) | Real Irish driving |
|---|---|---|
| Modern small petrol (1.0–1.2L turbo) | 5.0–6.0 | 5.5–7.0 |
| Modern medium petrol (1.5–2.0L turbo) | 6.0–7.5 | 6.5–8.5 |
| Modern diesel (1.6–2.0L) | 4.0–5.5 | 4.5–6.5 |
| Petrol HEV (Toyota / Honda) | 3.5–5.0 | 4.0–5.5 |
| PHEV (battery depleted) | 5.0–7.0 | 4.0–7.5 (mix dependent) |
| Older diesel (Euro 5, pre-2015) | 5.0–6.5 | 5.5–7.5 |
| Mid-size petrol SUV | 7.0–8.5 | 7.5–10.0 |
| Mid-size diesel SUV | 5.5–7.0 | 6.0–8.0 |
| Large petrol SUV / 4WD | 9.0–12.0 | 10.0–14.0 |
| Large diesel SUV / 4WD | 7.0–9.0 | 8.0–11.0 |
WLTP figures from the CoC are the regulatory baseline; Irish real-world driving typically adds 10–20% (motorway speed, hills, traffic, climate-control use). Use the higher end for budgeting; track real fuel-ups in odo.ie for the truth on your specific car.
Worked examples
1. Family petrol — 17,000 km/year, 6.5 L/100 km
| Litres / year | 1,105 L |
| Cost / year | €2,012 |
| Cost / month | €168 |
| Cost / 100 km | €11.83 |
| 5-year total | €10,059 |
2. Diesel commuter — 25,000 km/year, 5.0 L/100 km
| Litres / year | 1,250 L |
| Cost / year | €2,563 |
| Cost / month | €214 |
| Cost / 100 km | €10.25 |
| 5-year total | €12,813 |
3. Hybrid (Toyota Corolla / Yaris Cross) — 17,000 km/year, 4.5 L/100 km
| Litres / year | 765 L |
| Cost / year | €1,392 |
| Cost / month | €116 |
| Cost / 100 km | €8.19 |
| 5-year total | €6,962 |
vs the petrol equivalent (Example 1): hybrid saves €620/year, €3,098 over 5 years.
4. High-mileage sales rep — 40,000 km/year, 6.0 L/100 km diesel
| Litres / year | 2,400 L |
| Cost / year | €4,920 |
| Cost / month | €410 |
| 5-year total | €24,600 |
For high-mileage drivers, the fuel cost dwarfs every other running-cost line. This is also the segment where switching to an EV (where home charging is feasible) saves the most — see our EV charging cost calculator.
Petrol vs diesel vs HEV — same car class at 17,000 km/yr
| Fuel | Typical L/100 km | €/100 km | €/year @ 17k km | 5-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol (1.5L turbo) | 6.5 | €11.83 | €2,012 | €10,059 |
| Diesel (1.6L TDI) | 5.0 | €10.25 | €1,743 | €8,713 |
| Petrol HEV (Corolla 1.8 Hybrid) | 4.5 | €8.19 | €1,392 | €6,962 |
| PHEV — daily use 60% EV / 40% petrol | 2.5 effective | €4.55 | €774 | €3,868 |
The hybrid premium has shrunk dramatically over the diesel route — at current prices, a Corolla Hybrid is €620/year cheaper to fuel than a petrol equivalent and €350/year cheaper than a diesel. Combined with diesel's higher motor tax band, NOx levy on imports and weakening residuals, the diesel economic case is largely gone for sub-25,000 km/year drivers.
Reducing fuel cost — what actually works
- Drive 100 km/h instead of 120 — single biggest factor. Drag rises non-linearly with speed; cutting 20 km/h on motorways saves 15–25%.
- Tyre pressure — every 0.2 bar under spec costs ~2% efficiency. Check monthly with a quality gauge.
- Remove roof bars / boxes when not in use — adds 8–15% on motorway driving.
- Service the car — fresh oil, clean filters, correct spark plugs (petrol) all reduce internal losses. A neglected engine can use 5–10% more fuel.
- Plan multi-stop trips — combining errands reduces cold-start losses (cold engines burn richer for emissions reasons).
- Use supermarket forecourts — Tesco, SuperValu, Dunnes typically €0.03–€0.10/L cheaper than branded competitors.
- Avoid motorway service stations — €0.15–€0.20/L premium for the same fuel.
- Track in odo.ie — what gets measured gets managed. Drivers who log fuel-ups consistently report 5–10% reductions in real consumption within 3 months simply from awareness.
How Irish pump prices break down
On €1.82/L petrol (May 2026), the breakdown is approximately:
- Wholesale fuel cost: ~€0.55 (~30%) — crude oil + refining + retailer margin
- Mineral Oil Tax + Carbon Tax: ~€0.83 (~46%) — Ireland's fuel excise structure
- VAT (23%): ~€0.34 (~19%) — applied on the ex-VAT price
- Retail margin: ~€0.10 (~5%) — what the forecourt actually keeps
Roughly 65% of pump price is tax in Ireland. The Carbon Tax component escalates annually and is on track to reach €100/tonne by 2030 (currently ~€71/tonne). Excise rates are reviewed at each Budget; April 2026 brought temporary cuts that rolled back roughly €0.06–€0.09/L on each fuel.
Track every fuel-up. See real €/100 km.
The calculator above uses benchmarks. odo.ielogs every fuel-up — date, litres, cost, odometer — and shows your actual €/100 km, €/year and trend over time. Solo free for one car; Family €4/mo for three.
Sources
- AA Ireland — monthly fuel price survey (May 2026 figures).
- Pumps.ie, FuelWatch.ie — live forecourt-level price tracking.
- GlobalPetrolPrices.com — Ireland tracking with EU comparison.
- RTÉ News — coverage of April 2026 excise cuts and supply disruption.
- Revenue Mineral Oil Tax — current excise duty structure.
- Department of Environment, Climate and Communications — Carbon Tax escalator schedule.