In the Polish border town of Świnoujście, “cars with Polish license plates are almost nowhere to be seen,” according to local media reports. German citizens are traveling to their neighbors to fill up their tanks.
For Germans, the savings can be significant: at home, they would pay 2.55 euros per liter of 98-octane gasoline, while in Poland it costs just 1.66 euros. A liter of diesel in Poland costs 1.70 euros, while across the border it’s one and a half times more expensive.
…But the roads are long
That said, “fuel tourism” won’t turn into “fuel migration”: it’s only beneficial for residents of border regions and those who are already traveling to Poland or passing through the border, for example, on their way back from Baltic resorts.
According to estimates by German media cited by Euronews, if the distance from home to a Polish gas station exceeds 200 km, the savings for German consumers disappear entirely—and that’s without even factoring in associated costs and time spent.
Gas cans could make this “tourism” more profitable, but German regulations restrict fuel imports: quantities exceeding 20 liters must be declared, and an energy tax must be paid.
Cheap Fuel Until the End of August
The Polish government is pushing for lower fuel prices for the second time this year. The first round lasted several weeks in the spring.
The reason is a desire to cushion the blow that the war in the Middle East is dealing to car owners’ wallets.
The program will last until the end of August, after which prices will return to their previous levels. Fuel subsidies for citizens will cost the Polish treasury half a billion zlotys (115 million euros).
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