A European road trip costs €100-180/day for two people on a budget and €200-350/day mid-range, including car rental, fuel, tolls, parking, accommodation, and food. Southern and Eastern Europe are 30-40% cheaper. The car itself (rental + fuel + tolls + parking) costs €50-120/day depending on the country.
| Category | Budget (2 people) | Mid-Range (2 people) |
|---|---|---|
| Car rental | €30-50/day | €50-75/day |
| Fuel (200-250km/day) | €20-35/day | €25-40/day |
| Tolls | €5-15/day | €10-25/day |
| Parking | €5-15/day | €10-25/day |
| Accommodation | €50-80/day | €90-160/day |
| Food | €30-50/day | €60-100/day |
| Total per day (2 people) | €140-245 | €245-425 |
| Per person | €70-122 | €122-212 |
| Category | Budget (2 people) | Mid-Range (2 people) |
|---|---|---|
| Car rental | €20-40/day | €35-60/day |
| Fuel | €15-30/day | €20-35/day |
| Tolls | €0-10/day | €5-20/day |
| Parking | €3-10/day | €8-20/day |
| Accommodation | €35-65/day | €70-130/day |
| Food | €25-40/day | €45-80/day |
| Total per day (2 people) | €98-195 | €183-345 |
| Per person | €49-97 | €91-172 |
| Category | Budget (2 people) | Mid-Range (2 people) |
|---|---|---|
| Car rental | €15-30/day | €25-45/day |
| Fuel | €12-25/day | €15-30/day |
| Tolls/vignettes | €2-8/day | €3-10/day |
| Parking | €2-8/day | €5-15/day |
| Accommodation | €25-50/day | €50-100/day |
| Food | €15-30/day | €30-55/day |
| Total per day (2 people) | €71-151 | €128-255 |
| Per person | €35-75 | €64-127 |
| Country | Diesel (€/L) | Petrol (€/L) | Cost per 100km* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luxembourg | €1.35 | €1.40 | €8-10 |
| Spain | €1.40 | €1.45 | €8-10 |
| Poland | €1.30 | €1.35 | €8-10 |
| Portugal | €1.50 | €1.55 | €9-11 |
| Germany | €1.60 | €1.65 | €10-12 |
| France | €1.65 | €1.70 | €10-12 |
| Italy | €1.70 | €1.75 | €10-13 |
| UK | £1.40 | £1.45 | €11-14 |
| Netherlands | €1.85 | €1.95 | €12-14 |
| Norway | €1.85 | €1.90 | €12-14 |
*Based on a compact diesel car averaging 5-6L/100km
Car rental (compact, automatic): €450 | Fuel (1,200km): €110 | Tolls: €45 | Parking: €80 | Hotels: €950 | Food: €600 | Activities: €150
Total: €2,385 (€1,192/person, €238/day for two)
Car rental: €310 | Fuel (800km): €90 | Tolls: €55 | Parking: €120 | Hotels: €770 | Food: €560 | Activities: €200
Total: €2,105 (€1,052/person, €300/day for two)
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For two people: budget €100-180/day, mid-range €200-350/day. The car costs alone (rental + fuel + tolls + parking) average €50-120/day. Southern and Eastern Europe are 30-40% cheaper than Western Europe.
Budget €15-35/day based on driving 200-250km in a compact car. Fuel costs range from €1.30/L in Poland to €1.95/L in the Netherlands. A compact diesel car uses about 5-6L per 100km, costing €8-14 per 100km depending on the country.
France is most expensive (€0.10-0.15/km, Paris-Nice ~€75). Italy has per-distance tolls (Milan-Rome ~€45). Several countries use vignettes: Switzerland CHF 40/year, Austria €9.90/10 days. You can avoid tolls by using free secondary roads.
Book through aggregators 4-8 weeks ahead, pick up outside airports, rent for full weeks, decline CDW and buy standalone excess insurance (€3-5/day vs €15-35/day), and avoid one-way fees by returning to the same location.
For 1-2 people, trains are usually cheaper for city-to-city travel. For 3-4 people, a car becomes more economical since costs are shared. A car is often the only option for rural areas where trains don't reach.
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