Where can you find the cheapest fuel in Italy?
Filling up your tank is once again very expensive in Italy as fuel prices are back over €2 a litre in many areas of the country. Here's how to save.
Fuel costs for Italian motorists are spiking again in August, with the average price of petrol across the national motorway network back above the €2 threshold.
The new hike in fuel prices has sparked outrage among consumer groups, which are calling for more police controls on petrol stations amid "price fixing" concerns while also demanding that a former 30-cents-a-litre discount on fuel excise duties be reintroduced.
READ ALSO: How much can you expect to pay for fuel in Italy as prices soar?
But in the meantime, what can drivers do to minimise the financial hit?
The obvious suggestion of simply driving less isn’t always realistic in Italy, where 55 percent of people rely on a car to get around – whether that’s because they live in a rural location or in a city with famously unreliable public transport (we’re looking at you, Rome).
So if you have to fill up your tank, here are a few tips on how to save.
Firstly, choosing the right place to fill up could save you a significant amount of money. Italy has both serviced and self-service petrol stations. If you choose a serviced station or pump, be prepared to pay more.
If you want to save on fuel, it’s also best to fill up in your town before you hit the road as it almost always works out cheaper to refuel at local petrol stations or supermarket gas stations than along the motorway.
A person fills up the tank of their car at a petrol station just outside of Milan. Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP
Petrol stations owned by oil companies also tend to be more expensive than smaller, unbranded petrol stations.
Finally, refuelling on weekdays can mean significant savings as the price of petrol and diesel generally increases on weekends.
But, as prices vary from region to region and area to area, how do you find the cheapest place to fill up?
Google Maps
One of the best ways to find out the cheapest prices is in fact via Google Maps, where you can find the up-to-date prices for most stations. It works both on the mobile app and a computer.
First, click on the Petrol Station or ‘Benzinai’ button, which appears below or next to the search bar. This will generate a map of all the nearby petrol stations and their prices. You can also change the search area, if you want to check the prices somewhere else.
If you want to find out the prices of different types of petrol, as well as diesel at a particular petrol station, simply click on it and it will give a list of the types it offers and the prices.
Other websites
- Prezzibenzina.it is one of the best-known Italian websites devoted to helping drivers find cheaper fuel, based on user reports of pricing at stations in their area. After registering, you simply type in or find your region and the site will produce a map, along with a list of the cheapest petrol stations near you. You can also search by area or along your route.
- Benzinaitalia.com is another similar site, though it only allows you to search by region and Quotidiano warns that prices “are often not so up-to-date.”
- Carburanti.mise.gov.it is the government's official price comparison website. The search function here is not particularly user-friendly, but, at least on paper, the website should have the most reliable and complete data on fuel prices around the country as they are directly provided by the Fuel Price Observatory of Italy's Ministry of Economic Development (MISE).
Other popular websites used in Italy to detail the prices of petrol near you and allow you to compare the price of different types of fuel include IlPieno2, Ecomotori, and Gaspal.
Apps
There are also some free apps available allowing users to compare gas station prices in Italy and beyond.
- Prezzi Benzina - this is the app from the price comparison site of the same name (above). Available on Android and iOS.
- Waze - This app gets rave reviews from Quotidiano Motori. Like Google Maps, it has a navigation function as well as displaying petrol station prices where available. On Android and iOS.
- Carburante più economico - Does what it says on the tin. The ‘cheapest fuel’ app shows the cheapest fuel prices at gas stations in Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. On Android.
Do you have another favourite resource or more tips on finding cheaper fuel when driving in Italy? Please share them with us in the comments below.
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Fuel costs for Italian motorists are spiking again in August, with the average price of petrol across the national motorway network back above the €2 threshold.
The new hike in fuel prices has sparked outrage among consumer groups, which are calling for more police controls on petrol stations amid "price fixing" concerns while also demanding that a former 30-cents-a-litre discount on fuel excise duties be reintroduced.
READ ALSO: How much can you expect to pay for fuel in Italy as prices soar?
But in the meantime, what can drivers do to minimise the financial hit?
The obvious suggestion of simply driving less isn’t always realistic in Italy, where 55 percent of people rely on a car to get around – whether that’s because they live in a rural location or in a city with famously unreliable public transport (we’re looking at you, Rome).
So if you have to fill up your tank, here are a few tips on how to save.
Firstly, choosing the right place to fill up could save you a significant amount of money. Italy has both serviced and self-service petrol stations. If you choose a serviced station or pump, be prepared to pay more.
If you want to save on fuel, it’s also best to fill up in your town before you hit the road as it almost always works out cheaper to refuel at local petrol stations or supermarket gas stations than along the motorway.
Petrol stations owned by oil companies also tend to be more expensive than smaller, unbranded petrol stations.
Finally, refuelling on weekdays can mean significant savings as the price of petrol and diesel generally increases on weekends.
But, as prices vary from region to region and area to area, how do you find the cheapest place to fill up?
Google Maps
One of the best ways to find out the cheapest prices is in fact via Google Maps, where you can find the up-to-date prices for most stations. It works both on the mobile app and a computer.
First, click on the Petrol Station or ‘Benzinai’ button, which appears below or next to the search bar. This will generate a map of all the nearby petrol stations and their prices. You can also change the search area, if you want to check the prices somewhere else.
If you want to find out the prices of different types of petrol, as well as diesel at a particular petrol station, simply click on it and it will give a list of the types it offers and the prices.
Other websites
- Prezzibenzina.it is one of the best-known Italian websites devoted to helping drivers find cheaper fuel, based on user reports of pricing at stations in their area. After registering, you simply type in or find your region and the site will produce a map, along with a list of the cheapest petrol stations near you. You can also search by area or along your route.
- Benzinaitalia.com is another similar site, though it only allows you to search by region and Quotidiano warns that prices “are often not so up-to-date.”
- Carburanti.mise.gov.it is the government's official price comparison website. The search function here is not particularly user-friendly, but, at least on paper, the website should have the most reliable and complete data on fuel prices around the country as they are directly provided by the Fuel Price Observatory of Italy's Ministry of Economic Development (MISE).
Other popular websites used in Italy to detail the prices of petrol near you and allow you to compare the price of different types of fuel include IlPieno2, Ecomotori, and Gaspal.
Apps
There are also some free apps available allowing users to compare gas station prices in Italy and beyond.
- Prezzi Benzina - this is the app from the price comparison site of the same name (above). Available on Android and iOS.
- Waze - This app gets rave reviews from Quotidiano Motori. Like Google Maps, it has a navigation function as well as displaying petrol station prices where available. On Android and iOS.
- Carburante più economico - Does what it says on the tin. The ‘cheapest fuel’ app shows the cheapest fuel prices at gas stations in Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. On Android.
Do you have another favourite resource or more tips on finding cheaper fuel when driving in Italy? Please share them with us in the comments below.
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