Bulgaria experienced the highest annual increase in fuel prices within the European Union in September 2026, with a significant rise of 42.2% compared to the same month in the previous year. This sharp increase places Bulgaria at the forefront of a broader trend of rising fuel costs across the EU.
Following Bulgaria, Estonia and Lithuania also recorded substantial annual increases in fuel prices, at 40.6% and 40.2% respectively. In contrast, Hungary had the smallest annual hike at 6.9%, with Ireland and Sweden experiencing increases of 17.7% and 19.9% respectively.
Overall, fuel prices across the EU surged by 31.4% year-on-year in September, marking a continued acceleration from the 16.9% increase in July and the 23.8% rise in August. This trend reflects a broader pattern of escalating energy costs across the region.
On a monthly basis, there were notable increases in both diesel and petrol prices between August and September, with diesel prices rising by 5.9% and petrol by 6.7% across the EU. Sweden led these monthly increases, with diesel prices jumping by 12.8% and petrol by 13.8%.
In Bulgaria, the impact of rising fuel prices has been particularly pronounced since the beginning of the year. For instance, the average price of A95 petrol increased from €1.26 per litre on February 27 to €1.65 per litre by October 21. Similarly, diesel prices climbed from €1.29 to €1.91 per litre over the same period.