Bulgaria has experienced the European Union’s largest annual increase in fuel prices as of September 2026, with costs for fuels and lubricants used in personal transport soaring by 42.2% compared to the same month in the previous year. This surge places Bulgaria at the forefront of a broader trend of rising fuel costs across the EU.
Following closely behind Bulgaria, Estonia saw a 40.6% increase in fuel prices, while Lithuania’s prices rose by 40.2%. In contrast, Hungary reported the smallest annual increase at 6.9%, with Ireland and Sweden also recording lower increases of 17.7% and 19.9%, respectively. Overall, the EU experienced a 31.4% year-on-year rise in fuel prices in September, marking a significant acceleration from increases of 16.9% in July and 23.8% in August.
On a monthly basis, between August and September, diesel prices within the EU increased by 5.9% and petrol prices by 6.7%. Sweden led the monthly increases, with diesel prices climbing by 12.8% and petrol by 13.8%.
In Bulgaria, the price hike has been particularly notable since February 2026. The average price of A95 petrol has risen from €1.26 per litre on February 27 to €1.65 by October 21. During the same period, diesel prices increased from €1.29 to €1.91 per litre.