How much fuel does an HGV use per mile?

A typical Euro 6 artic HGV (44-tonne gross, fully loaded) achieves approximately 7–9 mpg (31–41 litres per 100km) on motorway/trunk road routes. Unladen, consumption improves to approximately 10–13 mpg. Urban distribution work (stop-start, shorter routes) averages 6–8 mpg. Refrigerated (reefer) trailers add approximately 10–15% to fuel consumption when the refrigeration unit is running. Modern vehicles with predictive cruise control (using GPS gradient data) can improve consumption by 5–10% on long-distance motorway routes.

What is a fuel surcharge in road haulage?

A fuel surcharge is an additional charge added to road haulage invoices that varies with diesel price movements, allowing operators to pass through fuel cost changes to customers without renegotiating base rates. Surcharges are typically indexed to a reference diesel price (such as the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero UK road diesel average, or Platts/Argus ARA gasoil price). When diesel rises above the reference level, a surcharge percentage is applied to the freight rate. Most major logistics contracts in the UK and Europe include a fuel surcharge mechanism to protect both sides from diesel price volatility.

What percentage of trucking costs is diesel fuel?

Diesel fuel represents approximately 25–35% of total HGV operating costs for a UK or European long-distance haulage operation. At average 2026 diesel prices (~£1.50–1.65/litre in the UK, €1.65–1.82/litre in continental Europe), a fully-loaded 44-tonne artic travelling 100,000 miles/year (160,000 km) consumes approximately 60,000–70,000 litres of diesel, costing approximately £90,000–115,000 (UK) or €99,000–127,000 (EU) per vehicle per year. A 10 ct/litre diesel price change therefore affects annual fuel cost by approximately £6,000–7,000 per vehicle — a significant profitability driver for fleet operators.

Trucking Fuel Costs Guide: Diesel Prices, HGV Consumption & Fleet Cost Management

Published 1 October 2026 · Updated 19 October 2026

Diesel fuel is the single largest variable cost for road haulage operators, typically representing 25–35% of total operating costs. In an industry with thin margins — typical net margins in UK and European road haulage are 2–5% — diesel price movements can be the difference between profitable and loss-making operations. Understanding HGV fuel consumption benchmarks, implementing effective surcharge mechanisms, and managing purchasing costs are essential capabilities for any fleet operator.

For live diesel prices across Europe, use the fuel price explorer. For the diesel price outlook, see our diesel price outlook 2027. For fuel card options, see our fuel card guide. For HVO renewable diesel as a fleet decarbonisation option, see our HVO renewable diesel guide.

HGV fuel consumption benchmarks

Vehicle type	Typical consumption (mpg)	L/100km	Annual fuel cost (UK, £1.60/l, 100k miles)
44t artic, motorway, loaded	7.5–9.0	31–38	£88,000–106,000
44t artic, mixed route, loaded	6.5–8.0	35–43	£99,000–121,000
44t artic, urban distribution	5.5–7.0	40–51	£113,000–144,000
18t rigid, mixed	9–12	24–31	£68,000–91,000
7.5t curtainsider, urban	13–16	18–22	£51,000–62,000
Reefer artic (refrigeration on)	6.0–7.5	38–47	£107,000–134,000

Fuel as a share of total HGV operating costs

Cost component	% of total (typical 44t artic, UK)
Diesel fuel	25–35%
Driver wages and NIC	30–40%
Vehicle depreciation / lease	12–18%
Tyres and maintenance	5–8%
Insurance	3–6%
Tolls and road user charges	2–5%
Overheads (premises, admin)	5–8%

A 10p/litre rise in diesel (typical in a significant crude oil price move) adds approximately £6,000–7,000/year per artic vehicle. For a 20-vehicle fleet, this is approximately £120,000–140,000 in additional annual fuel costs — easily eliminating the fleet's entire profit on thin margins.

Fuel surcharge mechanisms

Most logistics contracts include a fuel surcharge to allow operators to pass through diesel cost movements without renegotiating base rates:

Reference price: Typically the DESNZ (UK) weekly road diesel average or Argus European gasoil benchmark
Base level: The diesel price at contract inception — surcharge is zero at this level
Mechanism: For each p/litre the reference price moves above the base, a surcharge percentage is applied to the freight invoice (typically 0.4–0.6% per p/litre)
Cap: Some contracts cap the maximum surcharge to limit customer exposure
Review frequency: Weekly or monthly update to the surcharge multiplier

Fuel cards and volume discounts

Commercial fuel cards provide negotiated discounts versus street pump prices:

Major UK networks: Allstar, Keyfuels, UK Fuels, BP Plus, DKV (European)
Typical discount: 1–5p/litre below street pump price for large-volume users; network-priced cards may price at or above pump
BACS pricing: some cards use a weekly wholesale-linked price (often cheaper than pump for large fleets)
European coverage: DKV, UTA, Fleetcor/Routex provide pan-European coverage for international operators

For a comprehensive fuel card comparison, see our fuel card guide.

HVO for truck fleets: decarbonisation option

HVO100 (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) is the primary near-term decarbonisation option for existing diesel truck fleets:

True drop-in fuel: no engine or infrastructure modification required
85–90% lifecycle CO2 saving from UCO/waste-fat feedstock
Price premium: approximately 10–25 ct/litre (€0.10–0.25/l) above fossil diesel
Annual cost increase per artic at +€0.15/l: approximately €9,000–10,500/vehicle
REGO (Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin) or ISCC certificates available for Scope 1 carbon reporting
Many UK/European logistics operators (DHL, John Lewis, Tesco) have adopted HVO100 for part or all of their diesel fleet as an intermediate decarbonisation step while awaiting electric/hydrogen HGV viability

For HVO detail, see our HVO renewable diesel guide.

AdBlue (DEF) considerations

All Euro 6 diesel HGVs require AdBlue (diesel exhaust fluid / DEF) for SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) of NOx emissions. Key cost points:

Consumption: approximately 4–6% of diesel consumption — a 44t artic using 60,000l/year of diesel uses approximately 2,500–3,600 litres of AdBlue
Price: approximately £0.35–0.55/litre bulk AdBlue (UK, 2026)
Annual cost: approximately £875–1,980 per artic — a minor but meaningful cost item
DEF shortages (as occurred in 2021) can halt vehicle operations if tanks run dry — fleet operators should maintain minimum stock

For DEF/AdBlue technical context, see our diesel exhaust fluid glossary entry.

Frequently asked questions

How much fuel does an HGV use per mile? A Euro 6 44-tonne artic achieves approximately 7.5–9.0 mpg (31–38 l/100km) on motorway routes when loaded. Urban distribution reduces this to 5.5–7.0 mpg. Unladen returns improve to ~10–13 mpg. Reefer trailers add ~10–15% to consumption when running. Modern predictive cruise control can improve motorway consumption by 5–10%.: A Euro 6 44-tonne artic achieves approximately 7.5–9.0 mpg (31–38 l/100km) on motorway routes when loaded. Urban distribution reduces this to 5.5–7.0 mpg. Unladen returns improve to ~10–13 mpg. Reefer trailers add ~10–15% to consumption when running. Modern predictive cruise control can improve motorway consumption by 5–10%.
What is a fuel surcharge in road haulage? A fuel surcharge is an invoice addition that varies with diesel price movements, allowing operators to pass through fuel cost changes without renegotiating base freight rates. Indexed to a reference diesel price (e.g., DESNZ UK road diesel average), the surcharge applies a percentage to the freight invoice for each p/litre above the contracted base price. Standard in UK and European logistics contracts.: A fuel surcharge is an invoice addition that varies with diesel price movements, allowing operators to pass through fuel cost changes without renegotiating base freight rates. Indexed to a reference diesel price (e.g., DESNZ UK road diesel average), the surcharge applies a percentage to the freight invoice for each p/litre above the contracted base price. Standard in UK and European logistics contracts.
What percentage of trucking costs is diesel fuel? Diesel fuel is approximately 25–35% of total HGV operating costs. At UK 2026 diesel prices (~£1.60/l), a 44t artic doing 100,000 miles/year spends approximately £88,000–121,000 on fuel alone. A 10p/litre diesel move adds ~£6,000–7,000/vehicle/year — highly material for an industry operating on 2–5% net margins.: Diesel fuel is approximately 25–35% of total HGV operating costs. At UK 2026 diesel prices (~£1.60/l), a 44t artic doing 100,000 miles/year spends approximately £88,000–121,000 on fuel alone. A 10p/litre diesel move adds ~£6,000–7,000/vehicle/year — highly material for an industry operating on 2–5% net margins.