Bulgaria posted the largest increase in fuel and lubricant prices for personal vehicles in the EU in August, according to Eurostat data. This is the country's steepest monthly rise since late February, surpassing even the previous record of 33.9% recorded in May amid the conflict between the US and Iran.

Fuel and lubricant prices for passenger cars in the EU rose by an average of 23.8% in August compared with August 2025, with the pace accelerating. In June the increase was 13.7%, and in July it stood at 16.9%.

Fuel and lubricant prices rose in August compared with August 2025 in every EU country except Malta. In 18 countries, the increase exceeded 20%.

Bulgaria once again topped the EU ranking for fuel price increases — for another month running. In June, the country ranked first with an annual increase of 26%, against an EU average of 13.7%. In July, Bulgaria's pace slowed to 22.2%, putting it behind Lithuania and Germany (22.9% each) and Romania (24.2%). The EU-wide average rose to 16.9%.

In August, alongside Bulgaria, fuel and lubricant prices rose most sharply in Lithuania (28.8%), Finland (27.6%), Germany (27.5%) and France (27.4%). The smallest increases were recorded in Hungary (1.3%), Sweden (6.1%) and Ireland (11.7%).

On a monthly basis, diesel prices in the EU rose by 8.3% in August compared with July, while gasoline prices rose by 3.3%. By comparison, in July compared with June, diesel had risen by 4.3% and gasoline by 4.7%.

For diesel, the biggest August increase was in the Czech Republic, at 14.3%, followed by Bulgaria with 13.5% and Luxembourg with 12.3%. The smallest diesel price increases were seen in Italy (5.2%), Romania (6.1%) and the Netherlands (6.2%).

For gasoline, 22 EU countries reported price increases in August compared with July, while prices fell in three and remained unchanged in the remaining two. Gasoline prices rose most in Spain (8.2%), Romania (6.6%), Italy (6.3%) and Cyprus (6.2%). Slight declines were recorded in Hungary (-0.6%), Denmark (-0.3%) and Slovakia (-0.1%).

Fuel prices, particularly diesel, hit record levels in many European countries over the past month due to the economic fallout from the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.

BTA notes that on Friday the Bulgarian government announced a package of measures worth more than €300 million to address high fuel prices. Among them is the removal of excise duty on propane-butane. Support is also planned in the form of subsidies for key sectors, including public transport and school and medical transport services.