Türkiye Fuel Prices 2026: Diesel, Petrol and LPG Pump Prices Explained

How much do diesel, petrol and LPG cost in Türkiye now?

On 30 October, Petrol Ofisi's average diesel (motorin) price was 96.70 lira per litre in Istanbul, 98.00 lira in Ankara and 98.30 lira in İzmir ^[1]. Petrol (benzin) cost 76.20 lira in Istanbul, 77.30 in Ankara and 77.60 in İzmir ^[1]. Autogas (otogaz, automotive liquefied petroleum gas or LPG) cost 40.60 lira in Istanbul, 41.29 in Ankara and 41.20 in İzmir ^[1].

These are distributor averages. Motor1 Türkiye notes that prices vary by province and district because of the distance from refineries and transport costs ^[1]. It also advises drivers to check data from the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK) or station notices for the latest figures ^[1].

Diesel is now far more expensive than petrol. The gap in Istanbul was about 20 lira a litre at the end of October ^[1]. In late February the two fuels were almost level: diesel cost 57.80 lira and petrol 57.07 lira on 23 February ^[2]. By our calculation, diesel has risen about 67% since then, while petrol and LPG have each risen about 34% ^[1,2].

How have fuel prices moved in 2026?

Prices rose sharply in March, as the war in the Middle East upended global energy markets ^[18]. Between 16 and 23 March, diesel rose by about 5.21 lira a litre and petrol by about 0.61 lira on average ^[3]. On 23 March Istanbul diesel stood at 71.09 lira ^[3].

The spring brought some relief. Diesel eased to 69.32 lira by 27 April and to 64.81 lira by 22 June ^[4,5]. Petrol held between about 62 and 64 lira over the same period ^[4,5]. LPG peaked at 35.06 lira in late April, then slipped back ^[4,5].

Diesel jumped again in the summer. On 27 July Motor1 reported an average rise of 4.26 lira a litre on diesel since 24 July, taking Istanbul to 78.36 lira ^[6]. By 24 August diesel was 82.58 lira, after a further 3.00-lira average increase on 21 August ^[7]. On 21 September it reached 96.10 lira, even after a 4.1-lira cut from 18 September ^[8].

Petrol and LPG moved most around the end of the tax cushion. On 28 September petrol rose by about 4.2 lira, diesel by about 3.7 lira and LPG by 6.2 lira on average ^[9]. Istanbul petrol hit 84.50 lira on 2 October ^[9]. It then fell back: Dünya reported cuts of 4.30 lira and 3.35 lira in the week to 22 October, a total of 7.65 lira, and linked them to international prices and the exchange rate ^[13].

How is the price of a litre of fuel built?

Türkiye's fuel market has used free pricing since 1 January 2005, under the Petroleum Market Law ^[20]. The starting point is the refinery price. According to Opet, it follows the CIF (cost, insurance and freight) Mediterranean product quotations from the Italian market and the daily US dollar exchange rate ^[20]. EPDK collects a small revenue share on each unit sold ^[20].

Distributors then add their margin and service costs. Dealer costs and regional transport are added on top to reach a recommended pump price ^[20]. Dealers may follow it or set their own price in response to local competition ^[20].

Two taxes sit on top. The special consumption tax (ÖTV, Özel Tüketim Vergisi) is a fixed amount per litre, or per kilogram for LPG ^[11,12]. Value added tax (KDV, Katma Değer Vergisi) is charged at 20% on the price including ÖTV. Every 1 lira of ÖTV therefore adds about 1.20 lira at the pump ^[11].

Our calculation splits the 30 October Istanbul prices using October's ÖTV amounts: 6.00 lira for diesel and 7.90 lira for 95-octane petrol ^[1,11,12]. On that basis, taxes made up about 23% of the diesel price and about 27% of the petrol price. The rest covers the product, freight, the EPDK share and distributor and dealer margins, which the sources do not break down further.

What happened to the eşel mobil system and ÖTV in 2026?

In early March the government introduced a sliding-scale tax mechanism known as eşel mobil, through Presidential Decision 10995 ^[11]. Under it, part of any rise in refinery prices was absorbed by cutting ÖTV, so it did not reach the pump in full ^[10,11]. When refinery prices fell, ÖTV rose by the full amount of the fall ^[10].

A decision published on 3 July replaced the original 75%/25% split ^[10]. Until 31 July, 50% of refinery price rises was offset through lower ÖTV; from 1 August to 30 September, 25% was ^[10]. The system was set to end on 1 October 2026 ^[10]. The same decision also suspended the routine indexation of ÖTV amounts for July to December 2026 ^[10].

Diesel left the system earlier. Presidential Decision 11606, published on 13 August, set diesel ÖTV at zero for the rest of August ^[11]. It then rises by 3 lira each month: 3.00 lira in September, 6.00 in October, 9.00 in November and 12.00 in December ^[11]. From 1 January 2027 it is due to reach 13.9006 lira, the level before eşel mobil ^[11]. Araclo noted that sources differed on the diesel ÖTV just before the cut, citing figures of 6.31 and 7.74 lira ^[11].

Petrol and LPG followed on 1 October. Petrol ÖTV rose from 4.44 lira to a fixed 7.90 lira for October, adding 4.27 lira to the pump price, according to NTV, which carried an Anadolu Agency report ^[12]. NTV said a one-off return to the earlier tax level would have meant a 12.47-lira rise ^[12]. Petrol ÖTV is due to rise by a further 3.46 lira in both November and December ^[12]. LPG ÖTV went from 9.2190 lira to 11.3830 lira per kilogram, its level before the system ^[12].

How do the lira, Brent and diesel cracks feed through?

Because refinery prices track Mediterranean product quotations in dollars, two variables matter most: the international product price and the lira exchange rate ^[20].

Both have moved against Turkish drivers. Brent traded at $69.51 a barrel on 12 February, when the dollar cost 43.65 lira ^[17]. On 29 October the December Brent contract settled at $114.88 ^[18]. The dollar was selling for 49.77 lira on 26 October ^[16]. By our calculation, the lira weakened by about 14% against the dollar over the period. In lira terms, a barrel of Brent cost about 88% more.

Diesel has risen faster than crude oil. Diesel refining margins, the premium of the fuel over crude, reached a record of almost $95 a barrel in September ^[19]. The International Energy Agency (IEA) said in October that tight diesel supply could persist well into 2027 ^[19]. Rigzone, carrying a Bloomberg report, said European diesel futures had more than doubled this year ^[18]. This explains why Turkish diesel rose much more than petrol in 2026, even before taxes changed ^[1,2].

LPG behaved differently. Its pump price in Türkiye rose most at the end of September and on 1 October, when the tax cushion was removed ^[9,12].

How do Turkish fuel prices compare with the EU?

Converted at the euro selling rate of 55.9138 lira on 26 October, Istanbul diesel at 96.70 lira works out at about €1.73 a litre ^[1,16]. Petrol at 76.20 lira is about €1.36 ^[1,16]. These are our calculations and depend on the exchange rate used.

The EU average retail diesel price was €2.146 a litre in the week of 26 October; Euro-Super 95 petrol averaged €1.954 ^[15]. Diesel ranged from €1.210 in Malta to €2.547 in Finland ^[15]. Petrol ranged from €1.340 in Malta to €2.525 in Denmark ^[15].

On this basis, Istanbul diesel is about €0.42 below the EU average and slightly below Poland, at €1.781 ^[15]. Istanbul petrol, at about €1.36, sits near the cheapest EU markets ^[15]. In lira terms, however, the rise in 2026 has been steep ^[1,2].

What to watch

• 1 November tax step. Diesel ÖTV rises from 6 to 9 lira and 95-octane petrol ÖTV from 7.90 to 11.36 lira ^[14]. With 20% KDV, Milli Gazete calculated rises of about 3.60 lira for diesel and 4.15 lira for petrol ^[14]. It said Istanbul diesel could reach about 100.20 lira and petrol about 80.35 lira; final prices depend on distributors ^[14].
• LPG. Milli Gazete reported sector claims of a 9-lira rise in autogas from 3 November, which could lift prices above 50 lira; it said the amount had not been officially confirmed ^[14].
• January. Diesel ÖTV is scheduled to reach 13.9006 lira on 1 January 2027 ^[11]. Indexation of ÖTV amounts was suspended for July to December 2026, so any decision on the next update will matter ^[10].
• Brent and diesel margins. Brent futures rose more than 10% in October, and diesel supply remains the tightest part of the market ^[18,19].
• The lira. A weaker lira raises refinery prices directly, because product quotations are converted at the daily dollar rate ^[16,20].

Alupetra follows crude, diesel and LPG markets daily from Istanbul, and our price pages track Brent and product benchmarks every morning.