Dutch motorists spent €1.5 billion at cheaper German, Belgian pumps

Dutch motorists filled up more often at German and Belgian gas stations in the first half of the year, according to new figures from De Nederlandsche Bank. At Belgian and German gas stations, Dutch card payments rose 20 percent from the year earlier, while spending rose 32 percent. Overall, Dutch motorists made 25 million card payments at German and Belgian gas stations, totaling 1.5 billion. The trend, driven by lower prices across the border, therefore, continues.

Pump owners in the border regions had already complained about losing customers because of higher Dutch fuel taxes and VAT. DNB now has concrete data showing how many Dutch drivers filled up across the border.

The increase was strongest in Belgium. Dutch card payments there rose by a third to 11.3 million transactions totalling 593.6 million euros. In Germany, payments rose 11 percent to 14.2 million, totalling 872.4 million euros.

Gasoline and diesel prices jumped to record levels after the start of the Iran war. Average prices per liter in neighboring countries were often tens of cents lower than in the Netherlands, making cross-border fill-ups increasingly attractive.

DNB also found that Dutch shoppers have been visiting German supermarkets more often over the past four years. Dutch card payments in there reached 14.2 million in the first half of the year, which is more than double the figure from the first half of 2022. Separate research has also found that Dutch have been increasingly driving across the border to shop for beer and soft drinks.