Electric charging often costs Dutch travelers more than fuel in European vacation spots
Anyone driving a car abroad faces large differences in fuel and electricity prices. Gasoline and diesel prices vary sharply by vacation country, as do charging costs. As a result, electric driving is not automatically cheaper everywhere.
Millions of Dutch travelers head by car this summer to countries including France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. Many vacationers focus on tolls, overnight stays, and the route when preparing. Fuel and electricity costs along the way can also add up substantially.
The comparison is especially complicated for electric cars. A low charging rate may sound advantageous but says little on its own. In a country where gasoline and diesel are inexpensive, electricity must also be cheaper to deliver a financial benefit.
No fixed threshold such as 60 or 70 cents per kilowatt-hour therefore exists. The break-even point differs by country and depends on the local fuel price. It also matters whether a driver uses normal charging or a fast charger.
NU.nl compared the current recommended prices for gasoline and diesel with average charging prices on the ANWB website. Spain is the cheapest country for gasoline and diesel drivers. Electric drivers using normal charging fare relatively well mainly in the Netherlands. With average rates, fast charging is not cheaper than diesel in any of the countries examined.
A gasoline driver in Spain pays about 9.13 euros per 100 kilometers based on the recommended price and average consumption of 1 liter per 18 kilometers. The same distance in a diesel car costs about 7.80 euros at average consumption of 1 liter per 22 kilometers. Spain is the cheapest of the countries studied in both cases.
Luxembourg follows for gasoline at about 9.79 euros per 100 kilometers. Austria is next at 10.38 euros. The Netherlands is by far the most expensive: 100 kilometers on gasoline costs about 13.11 euros based on the recommended price.
Diesel is cheaper than gasoline in all nine countries. After Spain, Luxembourg is the least expensive at 8.58 euros per 100 kilometers. In the Netherlands the cost rises to 10.80 euros.
For electric driving the rate per kilowatt-hour is the main factor. Still, no general break-even point exists at which charging becomes more expensive than fueling. That also depends on the gasoline and diesel price in the country.
Assuming consumption of 1 kilowatt-hour per 6 kilometers, electricity in the Netherlands may cost about 79 cents per kilowatt-hour before electric driving becomes more expensive than gasoline. Compared with diesel the threshold is around 65 cents.
Normal charging costs an average of 50 cents according to ANWB research and is therefore cheaper than both fuels. Fast charging in the Netherlands averages 79 cents per kilowatt-hour, roughly equal to gasoline but more expensive than diesel.
In Spain the thresholds are much lower because gasoline and diesel are inexpensive there. Charging is cheaper than gasoline only if a kilowatt-hour costs less than about 55 cents. Against diesel the break-even point is around 47 cents.
Normal charging in Spain averages 51 cents. That makes it slightly cheaper than gasoline but more expensive than diesel. At the average fast-charging rate of 60 cents, 100 kilometers costs about 10 euros. That is nearly 90 cents more than gasoline and more than 2 euros more than diesel.
France is the only vacation country examined where the average fast-charging rate is lower than the break-even point for gasoline. At 61 cents per kilowatt-hour, electric driving costs about 10.17 euros per 100 kilometers. Gasoline costs 11.24 euros.
Diesel remains cheaper in France as well, at about 9.86 euros per 100 kilometers. To beat diesel the charging rate would need to fall below about 59 cents.
In Belgium, Germany, Italy, Austria and Switzerland both normal charging and fast charging are more expensive than gasoline and diesel at the average rates. Austria stands out: normal charging averages 1.04 euros per kilowatt-hour, amounting to more than 17 euros per 100 kilometers. The ANWB bases the charging rates on data from its Onderweg app for July 2026.
A subscription can change the comparison
Electric drivers can sometimes lower costs substantially with a temporary subscription from a fast-charging provider. Such a subscription costs about 6 euros per month according to the ANWB. The electricity rate can then drop to about 55 cents per kilowatt-hour or less.
At a rate of 55 cents, electric driving costs about 9.17 euros per 100 kilometers. That is cheaper than gasoline in eight of the nine countries. Only in Spain is gasoline then a few cents cheaper.
Diesel remains harder to beat. A charging rate of 55 cents is cheaper than diesel in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Switzerland. In Luxembourg and Spain the electricity price must fall further.
The cheapest charging point is not always the best choice, emphasizes Paul van Selms of UnitedConsumers. “Electric drivers should not only look at the price. Charging speed, the location, how busy it is and whether a charging point works also play a role.”
A short detour can also pay off. Cheaper fuel stations and charging points are often not found along the highway or a through route, according to Van Selms. The ANWB also advises comparing rates in advance. In France, among other places, relatively inexpensive charging points can be found at large supermarkets.
