Getting Fuel in Spain: What Drivers Need to Know
Refuelling in Spain is straightforward, but a few things differ from the UK and US: the fuel names, the self-service pumps, and the gap between motorway and town prices. 5317 of Spain's 11436 stations are open 24 hours.
Data updated:
What the fuels are called
Gasolina 95 is regular unleaded (equivalent to UK regular / US 87–89). Gasolina 98 is premium unleaded. Gasóleo A is ordinary road diesel; Gasóleo Premium is the higher-additive version. Gasóleo B is red agricultural diesel and is illegal in a road vehicle — the pumps are usually a different colour and clearly marked.
GLP is LPG autogas, sold at 995 stations nationally. GNC is compressed natural gas and is rare outside major cities.
Is it hard to find a station?
No. Spain has 11436 stations publishing prices, and 5317 of them are open 24 hours. Motorways have service areas at regular intervals and every town of any size has at least one station.
The one place to plan ahead is rural inland Spain — parts of Teruel, Cuenca, Soria and Extremadura have long gaps between towns, and a village station may close on Sundays. If you are crossing empty country, fill up before you leave the last big town rather than after.
Self-service, staff and payment
Most Spanish stations are self-service (*autoservicio*). At attended stations someone may fill for you; tipping is not expected. Unattended low-cost stations are card-only and often require you to pre-authorise an amount at a terminal before the pump releases.
International Visa and Mastercard are accepted essentially everywhere. American Express is patchier. Some unattended pumps reject foreign cards without a chip-and-PIN fallback, so it is worth not running the tank to empty if you are relying on one.
Where to save
Motorway service stations typically charge noticeably more than the same brand a few kilometres off the exit. Supermarket stations (Carrefour, Alcampo, Eroski, BonÀrea) and unattended chains (Ballenoil, Plenergy, Petroprix) are consistently among the cheapest.
Several brands run loyalty discounts of a few cents a litre. Over a two-week trip the difference between filling at the cheapest and the most expensive station in the same town adds up to a meaningful amount — which is what this site is for.
Frequently asked questions
Is it hard to get gas in Spain?
No. There are 11436 filling stations publishing prices across Spain and 5317 of them are open 24 hours. Cities and motorways are very well covered; only sparsely populated inland areas need planning ahead.
Is it hard to get gas in Barcelona or Madrid?
No — both cities have well over a hundred stations each, many open around the clock. The bigger consideration in city centres is low-emission zone restrictions on which vehicles may enter, not fuel availability.
Can I use a foreign credit card at Spanish petrol stations?
Visa and Mastercard are accepted almost everywhere. Unattended low-cost pumps occasionally reject foreign cards, so keep a backup card or use an attended station if you are low on fuel.
What is Gasóleo B and can I put it in my car?
No. Gasóleo B is subsidised agricultural diesel for farm and construction machinery. Using it in a road vehicle is illegal and carries a substantial fine.
Are Spanish petrol stations self-service?
Most are. Some larger branded stations have attendants, and tipping is not expected. Low-cost chains are typically fully unattended and card-only.
Looking for the cheapest station near you?
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