Petrol is cheaper in real terms, but fuel anger persists
Thursday 1st October 2026 on 22:00 in
Austria
Petrol in Vorarlberg is close to two euros a litre, yet its inflation-adjusted price is lower than in 1985. Diesel has become more expensive in real terms, ORF reports in a review of decades of debate over fuel costs.
A 1999 street survey by the broadcaster captured drivers’ frustration with small price rises. One respondent complained that petrol went up by 20 groschen but fell by only five or 10. That increase is equivalent to about 1.5 cents a litre today.
At the time, a litre of regular petrol cost about 11.35 schillings, equivalent to 82 cents today. Drivers also crossed into neighbouring Switzerland for cheaper fuel. The price relationship has since reversed, although the gap between Vorarlberg and Germany has recently narrowed.
Inflation changes the picture. The nominal price of petrol has risen from 84 cents a litre in 1985 to 1.98 euros, more than doubling. But other prices and wages have risen faster, leaving petrol 13 percent cheaper in real terms. It was more expensive in real terms in the 1980s and from 2011 to 2013. The comparison uses Vorarlberg’s current daily price and annual averages for Austria.
Diesel has followed a different trend. Its price has nearly quadrupled since 1970, with about two-thirds of the increase attributed to inflation. Even after adjusting for inflation, it is up 65 percent and now costs more in real terms in Vorarlberg than at its previous peak in 1981. Higher taxes and carbon pricing are among the reasons. Diesel currently costs 31 cents more per litre than Super petrol.
A fuel price measure taking effect today will cut prices by 12.2 cents a litre through the end of November. If petrol stations pass on the full reduction, petrol in Vorarlberg would cost about 1.86 euros a litre, below 1980s prices in real terms.
ORF’s archive also shows how fuel-price information has changed. After fuel price controls were dropped in the 1980s, its teletext service compared prices at filling stations. In 1981, it reported that drivers could save up to 20 groschen a litre by filling their own tanks.