The price gap between Portugal and Spain is large, but geography decides whether you benefit: filling up in Spain makes sense where a Spanish filling station sits a few minutes from home. That means first of all the Minho valley in the north, with Valença, Vila Nova de Cerveira, Monção and Melgaço, and the Alentejo border near Campo Maior, Elvas and Arronches. From Porto, Braga or Faro the round trip eats up almost the entire difference. The figures below refer to prices on 3 November 2026; the site has not updated them since.
Contents
↓ Where filling up in Spain saves most↓ Spanish stations near the border↓ Spanish stations that win most often
What a full tank saves after the drive
On 3 November 2026 the median diesel (gasóleo) price in Portugal was €2.289/L, in Spain €1.929/L: a gap of 36 c/L. Petrol 95 cost €2.064/L against €1.739/L, i.e. 32 c/L cheaper in Spain. The calculation assumes a 50-litre fill-up and subtracts the fuel needed for the detour there and back at 6.5 L per 100 km, priced at the local rate. The detour is measured from the cheapest Portuguese filling station within 10 km of the centre of the concelho (municipality), so the net saving always falls below “gap × 50”.
Districts where the trip pays off
It works best in the district of Viana do Castelo, where 6 places out of 10 are worthwhile, and in Portalegre with 6 out of 13. In Beja, Évora and Vila Real such places are few and far between. In Braga, Bragança, Castelo Branco, Faro and Guarda there are none at all: the Spanish filling stations are simply too far away.
Spanish towns for filling up
For the Alentejo the main option is Badajoz: 38 filling stations and a median diesel price of €1.790/L on 3 November 2026, below the median for Spain. In the north there are Tui opposite Valença and A Guarda at the mouth of the Minho; in the central stretch, Fuentes de Oñoro.
How to read a place's verdict
- “Worth the drive”: a 50-litre fill-up saves €10 or more, and the round trip takes up to 45 minutes.
- “Only if you're passing”: there is a saving, but the detour takes longer. That was the case for Alandroal (Évora): +€11.90 on diesel, but 45 minutes each way to the Spanish filling station.
- Travel time, wear on the car and tolls are not included in the calculation. The OpenStreetMap route duration is multiplied by 1.275 to bring it closer to real-world speeds.
For comparison, two examples based on prices on 3 November 2026. In Valença a Spanish filling station is 5 minutes away, and a fill-up saves +€22.50 on diesel and +€21.56 on petrol 95. In Campo Maior it takes 21 minutes: +€20.66 on diesel and +€14.48 on petrol. A similar breakdown exists for Elvas, and the calculation rules are described in the methodology.
Price date
The site took Portuguese prices from DGEG once a week: filling stations in Portugal usually change their prices on Mondays. Spanish prices come from MITECO's daily bulletin. Both sides are taken as of 3 November 2026, and the country medians are shown on the price pages for Portugal and Spain. Much of the gap comes down to taxes, but tax rates are not part of the data.
Frequently asked questions
Where is it cheaper to fill up, Portugal or Spain?
By the medians on 3 November 2026, Spain is cheaper, both for diesel and for petrol 95.
Is it worth driving to Spain for fuel from Porto?
No. By the site's calculation, the district of Porto has no place where a fill-up in Spain covers the detour.
How much did a litre of petrol cost in Spain?
The median price of petrol 95 on 3 November 2026 was €1.739/L, and diesel €1.929/L.
Filling up in Spain from Portugal in brief
At the prices of 3 November 2026, Spain is cheaper by 36 c/L on diesel and 32 c/L on petrol 95. The trip pays off in the Minho valley and on the Alentejo border, above all in Viana do Castelo and Portalegre; from the larger cities, the drive eats up the difference.