Fuels continue to become more expensive in Spain. Unleaded gasoline 95 is chaining its tenth consecutive day on the rise and diesel A recovers the barrier of 1.70 euros after five days of increases, in a market still stressed by the price of Brent, which remains above $105 due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The pump reflects the crude oil peaks several weeks late, while the VAT reduction from 21% to 10% continues to contain the impact on the final price.
The price of gasoline rises again and diesel is below 1.7 this week: filling the tank costs less than 93 euros
The price of gasoline and diesel Wednesday, May 21, in Spain: where to fill the tank cheaper
According to data from the Hydrocarbons Geoportal of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition consulted on May 21, 2026, the average price of 95 unleaded gasoline in the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands stands at 1.578 euros per liter, two thousandths more than yesterday and 1.5% above the level of a week ago. The unleaded 98 continues its climb and advances four thousandths to 1,756 euros.
Diesel A rises one thousandth to 1.703 euros per liter and once again exceeds the barrier of 1.70, a level that it had lost in mid-May and which it recovers after chaining five consecutive days of rise from the minimum of May 16 at 1.691 euros. The A+ rises three thousandths to 1,794 euros, while agricultural diesel B and heating C maintain the upward trend of the week.
Filling a 55-liter tank today costs 86.79 euros with 95 gasoline and 93.67 euros with diesel A. The difference between both refuelings has been reduced to 6.88 euros, the narrowest in recent weeks, due to the double effect of rising gasoline and diesel that starts from lower levels. The gap is not noticeable everywhere either: on the same avenue there can be a 15 cent difference between two gas stations 200 meters away, a circumstance that the official fuel price comparator allows you to verify in real time.
Autogas or LPG gives up one thousandth to 1,027 euros per liter, although it remains the cheapest alternative at the pump, with a difference of more than 55 cents compared to 95 gasoline.
Up to 25 cents difference depending on the brand
The gas station brand marks a notable gap in the final price. Among low-cost gas stations, unleaded 95 drops to 1,409 euros on average in BonArea, 1,436 euros in Alcampo and 1,441 euros in Ballenoil. At the other extreme, conventional brands raise the price to 1,664 euros on average at Repsol, 1,652 euros at BP and 1,650 euros at Moeve, while Galp (1,593 euros) and Shell (1,599 euros) are somewhat lower.
The difference between refueling with the most expensive and the cheapest brand therefore exceeds 25 cents per liter for 95 gasoline, which translates into around 14 euros of savings on a single 55-liter tank. In diesel A, the range ranges from 1,498 euros for BonArea to 1,775 euros for Repsol.
Almost half the price is taxes
A good part of what the driver pays at the pump does not go to the oil companies, but to the Treasury. Taxes represent 47.3% of the price of 95 gasoline, according to the breakdown of the average sales price. Of each liter, 0.274 euros correspond to VAT and 0.473 euros to the Special Tax on Hydrocarbons, which adds up to a tax burden of 0.747 euros per liter.
The proportion is somewhat lower in diesel, where taxes represent 39.6% of the price of diesel A (0.675 euros per liter). The levy of the Special Tax is established by Law 38/1992 on Special Taxes, while the VAT is temporarily maintained at 10% for fuels by virtue of the tax measures approved by the Government.
The crude oil, still stressed
The rebound in the pump responds to the sustained pressure on crude oil. The barrel of Brent, a European reference, remains above $105 after several weeks marked by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the main world oil routes. Some analysis houses anticipate that the barrel could climb to $120 in the short term if the transit interruption continues.
The transfer of this increase to the price of fuel is not immediate, but occurs with a delay of between one and three weeks, so the increases recorded today at the pump largely reflect the highs that crude oil reached at the beginning of May, and not its price on this same day.