Heavy Iran War Toll on Europe: EU Faces About €270 Million Daily in Extra Fuel Costs
Diesel drives most of the spike, with drivers paying roughly €142 more and long-haul trucks about €236 more per week, according to Euronews citing a Brussels-based transport group.
Euronews reports, citing the Brussels-based Transport & Environment group, that the war in Iran has pushed EU road-transport fuel costs higher by about €53 billion since it began. Diesel is the main driver, with drivers paying roughly €142 more and long-haul trucks about €236 weekly. The study notes diesel’s outsized share in EU fuel consumption and highlights price spikes, supply concerns, and proposed short-term fixes alongside long-term shifts to electric vehicles.
Euronews, citing the Brussels-based Transport & Environment (T&E) group, reported that since the start of the war in Iran, the cost of road freight fuel for the European Union has risen by about €53 billion. A large share of this increase is linked to diesel. The report says a typical EU diesel car’s fueling cost rose by about €142 on average, while a long-haul German truck faced around €236 more in weekly fuel expenses.
Of the total extra cost, roughly €40 billion was attributed to diesel, with the daily transport-fuel burden averaging about €270 million. The study compares the war period to a similar timeframe last year and accounts for inflation. It notes Europe’s high reliance on diesel relative to other regions, stating that diesel and related fuels make up about 43% of EU oil product consumption—around 16 percentage points above the global average and nearly twice the U.S. share. In 2024, roughly four in ten passenger cars on European roads ran on diesel, and road transport accounted for about 77% of EU diesel consumption.
The report also highlights the broader oil-diesel price gap. By early September, the weighted average price of diesel in the EU reached €2.159 per liter—the highest level on European Commission historical series since 2005. Analysts cited by Euronews warned that refinery maintenance and seasonal demand for heating oil could tighten supply further this autumn. The piece notes that the United States has considered restricting diesel exports, with former President Donald Trump saying he supported such a move, though no ban had been announced.
In response to the price shock, the Brussels group suggests modest, short-term steps that could reduce diesel demand. These include enabling more remote work, lowering highway speed limits, boosting public transport investment, and promoting fuel-efficient driving practices (such as proper tire pressure). In the longer term, the report argues that accelerating electric-vehicle adoption could reduce Europe’s vulnerability to energy-price swings. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva was quoted in the piece warning that “winter is coming” amidst ongoing energy-price volatility.
Overall, the Iran war and related energy shocks have helped drive inflation higher globally and pressured central banks to raise borrowing costs, with Europe facing particularly pronounced fuel-cost pressures within its transport network.