Among large economies, diesel accounts for a higher share of energy consumption in Europe than anywhere else, with the European Union standing out for its particularly high dependence on the fuel. Diesel and gas oil used by vehicles on European roads accounts for roughly three-quarters of the bloc's total consumption of those fuels.

Elevated diesel costs represent a notable challenge under current fuel pricing conditions. Unrest across the Middle East and production disruptions at Russian refineries have contributed to a tightening of refined petroleum supplies, and the margin between petroleum feedstock costs and finished fuel prices, particularly for diesel, has continued to expand.

An increase in fuel costs can affect consumer spending power, raise the price of goods, and add to the expense of running industrial equipment. Years of reliance on diesel across road freight networks have left European haulage costs particularly exposed to any tightening in global middle-distillate supplies.

By 14 September, motorists with diesel vehicles were facing an additional cost of around €30 per fill, based on a 50-litre tank, while haulage operators running trucks out of Germany had been absorbing an average of €236 in extra weekly fuel expenditure since the conflict began. Given approximately 6.2 million lorries operating across European roads, the cumulative effect is considerable.

Across Europe, higher fuel expenditure for road haulage and private vehicles amounts to roughly €270 million each day, with around €203 million of that figure attributable to diesel alone.

Approximately 30% of diesel vehicles across Europe are over 15 years old, and state-funded vehicle retirement programmes have the potential to remove a substantial portion of that ageing fleet from circulation. Projecting the diesel price differential through to the end of December, the EU's accumulated expenditure would be equivalent to providing a €2,000 vehicle replacement incentive for every diesel car aged 15 years or more.

Near-term interventions identified include lowering highway speed limits, promoting fuel-efficient driving techniques, and encouraging ride-sharing arrangements, which have the potential to reduce diesel consumption by 15%. Among the longer-term proposals put forward are opposing any dilution of the 2030 vehicle CO2 emissions targets to drive widespread electric car uptake and give investors confidence, and backing a phase-out of new petrol and diesel car and van sales by 2035.

Further proposals include establishing more stringent electrification benchmarks for large corporate fleets under the Clean Commercial Vehicles Regulation while excluding plug-in hybrids, redirecting excess profits from oil producers to shield households from future fuel price volatility, introducing CO2-linked road tolling for freight vehicles to improve the economic viability of electric trucks, and funding the development of charging infrastructure at truck depots.

Lowering oil consumption and imports has been put forward as a way to strengthen economic stability, cut fuel costs for motorists, ease geopolitical tensions, and lessen environmental harm.