Electric vehicle (EV) drivers in Europe pay, on average, less than half as much per kilometer to charge as diesel drivers pay to refuel, according to the Brussels-based environmental group Transport & Environment (T&E).
An analysis released recently by T&E called on Europe to accelerate its transition to EVs and opposed across-the-board cuts in fuel duties. It recommended targeted support for low-income households, together with windfall taxes on energy firms to fund public transport and vehicle scrappage schemes.
The analysis showed that diesel drivers now pay 32 euros (36.4 U.S. dollars) more to fill a 50-liter tank than at the start of the year, with about 16 euros of the increase due to higher refinery margins.
Estimates by the European Central Bank (ECB) show that the margin rose from about 0.10 euro per liter in February to 0.41 euro per liter around Sept. 14.
The comparison covers refueling and recharging costs only. It is based on average consumption of 6.9 liters per 100 km for diesel vehicles and 20.2 kilowatt-hours per 100 km for battery electric vehicles, with electricity priced at 0.343 euro (0.39 U.S. dollar) per kilowatt-hour.
T&E said its charging-cost estimate, which takes into account the correlation between electricity and gas prices and the delayed pass-through to household electricity prices, is likely an upper bound.
An earlier T&E analysis showed that six of the eight major oil companies it studied, including BP and Shell, more than doubled their profits in the European Union (EU) in the second quarter of 2026 from a year earlier.
