Skyscanner reveals best value road trips for Europe’s popular European destinations.
Despite the fall in EU petrol prices, Brits planning a European driving holiday this year could be in for a nasty shock if they don’t check petrol prices before they book. The price difference across the continent means that drivers in Norway will pay a third more per tank of fuel than those heading to Spain, and up to four times as much for car hire. The varying petrol prices and car hire impact the total holiday costs, with a 500 mile, week-long road trip including car hire and petrol cost costing up to 258% more depending on the country visited.
To help British holidaymakers get the most miles for their money, Skyscanner has compared petrol prices in Europe’s 10 most popular holiday destinations1. Spain tops the list as cheapest country to fill up your tank at just £1.112 per litre followed closely by Switzerland (£1.15 per litre) and France (£1.20 per litre). The most expensive countries are Norway (£1.50 per litre), Netherlands (£1.43 per litre), and Italy (£1.44 per litre) all of whom charge around a third more per litre than their neighbours.
The global travel site, which includes car hire, found it’s not just the petrol prices that vary across Europe – average car hire costs can be more than four times as much for a 7 day car hire depending on the country. Again Spain comes out top with the best value car hire at just £62.543 for a week, closely followed by Portugal at £66.59. Comparatively Norway is yet again the most expensive with car hire coming in at £253.35 for a week.
Spain, with the best value for both car hire and petrol, is not surprisingly the best value country to visit for a road trip this year, with a 500 mile, week-long trip costing just £137 or £0.27 per mile. The same trip in Norway would cost 258% more, at £354 for the week long trip – or £0.71 per mile. Interestingly, Portugal is ranked as the second best value country to visit, despite having only the 4th cheapest petrol, due to its affordable car hire.
Skyscanner’s Hayley Smith commented, “It’s not just the initial car hire costs which affect the price of a holiday but also the fuel stops which need to be paid for over the course of the trip. Travellers should do their homework before booking road trips to establish which countries have the best value routes and where they can get the most bang for their buck.”
To inspire travellers to explore Europe, Skyscanner has also pulled together ten popular European road trip routes to help plan and cost up the journeys.
Hayley adds, “We’ve done the hard work for 10 trips around Europe’s most popular destinations to help provide holidaymakers with clarity around the costs they should expect to pay. What’s clear is Spain is a great all-round option for those sun-seekers looking to get the best deal for car hire and petrol prices. British holiday makers can visit our car hire site for further details on these routes and our driving abroad destination guides4.”
Spain’s low petrol prices mean travellers can soak up some of Europe’s most stunning world heritage sites along the way for just £181 or 21p per mile. The best value road trip starts in Malaga and tours around Andalucía visiting sandy coves of Nerja, the port town of Almería and UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Seville and Granada.
“Travellers can save even more money by planning their routes including fuel stops, in advance. If they are intending to cross borders, remember that countries fuel costs differ. For example for those travelling from Spain to France should fill up their tank before the border as Spain’s petrol prices are cheaper,” continued Hayley.
European road trips: 5 popular European road trips (in order of best value)
1. Best of Andalucía: Southern Spain
Start: Malaga
End: Malaga
Visiting: Sandy coves of Nerja, the port town of Almería, Córdoba and UNESCO World Heritage sites in Seville and Granada
Duration: 15 hours driving over two week
Miles: 873
Total cost petrol and car hire: £181
Cost per mile: £0.21
2. Cultural tour: North-west Spain
Start: Madrid
End: Madrid
Visiting: The UNESCO World Heritage sites in the old city of Segovia, castles, museums and palaces in Salamanca, religious buildings in Valladolid and the archaeological site of Atapuerca
Duration: 13.5hours driving over two weeks
Miles: 597
Total cost petrol and car hire: £154
Cost per mile: £0.26
3. Portugal’s highlights: Lisbon, Porto and beyond
Start: Lisbon
End: Lisbon
Visiting: Architectural monuments in UNESCO World Heritage Sintra and Porto and the port town of Setúbal
Duration: 14 hours driving, over two weeks
Distance: 528 miles
Total cost petrol and car hire: £241
Cost per mile: £0.46
4. Fairy tales and Castles: Germany’s romantic road
Start: Nuremberg
End: Munich
Visiting: Historic towns, walled cities and castles in Würzburg, Tauber Valley, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Nördlingen, Augsburg and Munich
Duration: 8 hours driving over one week
Distance: 374
Total cost petrol and car hire: £174
Cost per mile: £0.46
5. The Grand Tour: France, Switzerland, Italy
Start: Paris
End: Nice
Visiting: Picturesque French villages, Geneva, snow-capped mountains in Chamonix, the stunning Lake Como and glamourous cities of Milan and Monaco
Duration; 1,005 miles over three weeks
Total cost petrol and car hire: £395
Cost per mile: £0.39
For more information on the cheapest car hire prices worldwide visit: www.skyscanner.net/carhire.
© Skyscanner
