Fuel surcharge calculator for haulage (UK diesel, 2026)
A haulage fuel surcharge adjusts only the fuel part of the rate: surcharge (%) = fuel share of the rate × (current diesel price ÷ base price − 1). With the UK government’s weekly road fuel prices (ULSD, ex VAT): December 2025 averaged 121.43p a litre and the week of 21 September 2026 162.94p (+34.18%); with a 20.9% fuel share the surcharge is +7.14%, so a £1,200 job becomes £1,285.73. In the UK the surcharge is a contract term; France, Spain and, for written contracts, Italy make fuel indexation mandatory by law. In Logistivo a carrier quotes a price per vehicle, revises a pending quote in one step and invoices the surcharge as its own line on the load’s invoice.
Source: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero · European Commission · droit.org (Légifrance data) · Boletín Oficial del Estado · Normattiva · Comité national routier (France).
Data last updated:
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Diesel price, base level and your surcharge
There is no statutory fuel surcharge in UK road haulage; it exists when the parties agree it. So the clause decides everything: reference price, base value and date, fuel share or consumption, frequency. The chart shows, as a published reference, the UK average pump price of ultra-low-sulphur diesel from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), with VAT taken out.
The calculator adjusts only the fuel part of a road haulage rate: it applies the change in a diesel price or index to the fuel share of the rate, or to your actual consumption. Driver, vehicle and tolls stay outside the calculation.
Agreed rate (ex VAT) — the rate when the job or contract was agreed, before VAT; the surcharge is calculated on it.
Fuel share of the rate — from your own costing; without a figure of your own, the published CNR (France) weightings are a guide — or use the consumption method.
Base: date of the agreement — the price or index value on the agreed base date (usually the quote or contract date).
Current value: date of the job — the value for the month or week the job runs.
Trigger — optional: adjust only once the price has moved this much from the base (0 = every change).
Consumption (L/100 km) — consumption method: your real average, for instance from fuel receipts.
Kilometres for the job — charged distance, empty running included if the rate covers it.
Price per litre at the base date (ex VAT) — taken from the chart when the series is a price per litre in the rate’s currency; the DESNZ pence are converted to pounds.
there is no statutory trigger in the UK; whether and from what movement the rate changes is set by the clause alone.
The formulas — Surcharge (%) = fuel share × (current value ÷ base value − 1)
The formulas — Fuel share = (L/100 km ÷ 100 × km × price per litre at the base date) ÷ rate — the same as: surcharge (£) = litres used × (current price per litre − base price).
Fuel share: published reference values — The calculator does not use an official UK weighting. Published and checkable are the 2026 weightings of France’s Comité national routier (CNR) — as a guide; your own costing or the consumption method come first.
20.9 % — CNR (FR) long distance, articulated — CNR 2026 weighting (set in December 2025); 22.1% in 2025.
What the law and the sources say — Contract in the UK, statute in three EU markets — and one rule about which price to use.
A contract term in the UK — A fuel surcharge, fuel escalator or diesel clause applies only if it is agreed — in the quote, the terms or the framework contract. — Contract term
France: revision by law — The agreed price is revised automatically for the change in fuel cost between the contract date and the transport date; without a contract figure, the CNR diesel price, share and index apply. The rules are mandatory and the carrier’s counterparty risks a fine of up to €15,000. — Code des transports, art. L. 3222-1, L. 3222-2, L. 3222-9, L. 3242-3
Spain: a statutory formula — Carrier and payer must raise or lower the price with ΔP = G × P × C ÷ 100 once diesel has moved 5% or more (lower trigger possible in writing; continuous contracts every invoicing period); the change is shown separately on the invoice and a contrary agreement is void. — Ley 15/2009, art. 38; Orden FOM/1882/2012, conditions 3.4 and 8.3
Italy: 2% in written contracts — A written road haulage contract must contain a clause adapting the price to fuel costs when the ministry’s monthly diesel price moves more than 2% from the signature or the last adjustment; without it the contract counts as not written. — D.Lgs. 286/2005, art. 6, c. 3(d), c. 6
Which price? — Ex VAT, because VAT is recoverable for businesses. In 2026 Spain (10% from 22 March to 5 July) and Poland (8% from 1 March to 16 August) cut VAT on diesel — a VAT-inclusive price would have distorted the surcharge there. — European Commission, Weekly Oil Bulletin (prices and VAT table)
UK duty and VAT in the series — Diesel duty stayed at 52.95p a litre and VAT at 20% throughout September 2025 – September 2026 in the DESNZ file, so the movement in the series is the product price. — DESNZ, Weekly road fuel prices (CSV 2018 onwards)
UK diesel (ULSD) average pump price ex VAT (DESNZ) (p/litre ex VAT — Department for Energy Security and Net Zero — Weekly road fuel prices · Published UK average pump price including duty (52.95p a litre) and VAT (20%), with the VAT taken out. · Monthly average of the weekly Monday readings, calculated by Logistivo; last point = the week of 21/09/2026 (pump price 195.53p including VAT). · Sep 2025: 118.20 | Oct 2025: 118.98 | Nov 2025: 119.85 | Dec 2025: 121.43 | Jan 2026: 118.73 | Feb 2026: 117.60 | Mar 2026: 132.22 | Apr 2026: 158.32 | May 2026: 155.95 | Jun 2026: 147.03 | Jul 2026: 139.65 | Aug 2026: 151.65 | 21/09/2026: 162.94 (week)
* calculated value, see method
Your fuel surcharge clause, ready to copy — The text uses your inputs: reference, base value and date, fuel share, frequency. Paste it into your quote, rate card or framework agreement.
Fuel surcharge clause (template) The agreed rate of …… (excluding VAT) will be adjusted for changes in the price of diesel. Reference: …. Base value: … (…). Fuel share of the rate: …%. Adjusted rate = agreed rate × [1 + …% × (current value ÷ … − 1)]. The adjustment applies both up and down and is calculated …. … The fuel surcharge is shown as a separate line on every invoice.
An adjustment applies once the current value differs from the base value by at least …%.
for each job · monthly, using the value for the month of the job · quarterly, using the quarter’s average
Template only, not legal advice. Have important contracts reviewed.
How this carries on in Logistivo — In Logistivo, carriers answer requests from their network with a price per vehicle and can record the fuel clause’s reference and base value in the quote note. While a quote is pending it is revised in one step: the old one is marked “revised” and the new price applies (carrier workspace). After the job, the invoice is raised from the load and the fuel surcharge is added as its own line (invoicing and accounting). For the consumption method, the fuel receipts drivers photograph in the app give the litres and price per litre actually paid — DKV and UTA card fills included (driver app).
Apply this surcharge to every load — no spreadsheet — Price per vehicle with one-step revision, invoice raised from the load with a separate fuel line, fuel receipts read by AI: Logistivo connects the agreed rate, the diesel actually bought and the invoice.
Carrier workspace — Price per vehicle; pending quotes revised in one step. — /en/carrier
Invoicing — Invoice from the load, fuel surcharge as its own line. — /en/accounting-invoicing
Driver app — Fuel receipts read: litres, price per litre, DKV or UTA card. — /en/carrier/drivers
Indicative calculation using values published by DESNZ on the date shown; the reference named in your contract is what counts.
How fast the price moved in 2026: on monthly averages, UK diesel ex VAT rose 12.43% in March and 19.74% in April, fell 5.72% in June and 5.02% in July, and rose 8.59% in August.
Is a fuel surcharge mandatory? The UK and eight European markets
Is a fuel surcharge mandatory? The UK and eight European markets — Three countries make fuel indexation mandatory by law — France, Spain and, for written contracts, Italy. In the UK and the other markets a surcharge exists only if it is agreed.
FR — France: Required by law — The agreed price is revised automatically; without a contract figure the CNR diesel price and share apply, revised with the CNR index. Mandatory rules; fine of up to €15,000 for the carrier’s counterparty. | When it applies: No threshold: any change between contract and transport date. | Reference price or index: CNR indices (professional diesel; separate index under 7.5 t). | Code des transports, art. L. 3222-1, L. 3222-2, L. 3222-9, L. 3242-3
ES — Spain: Required by law — Carrier and payer must raise or lower the price with the government formula ΔP = G × P × C ÷ 100; the change is shown separately on the invoice; a contrary agreement is void. | When it applies: Automatic from a 5% change (lower trigger possible in writing); continuous contracts every invoicing period. | Reference price or index: Weekly average diesel price published by the government, ex VAT; coefficient C by vehicle class. | Ley 15/2009, art. 38 (RDL 9/2026) · Orden FOM/1882/2012, cond. 3.4 y 8.3 (RDL 18/2026)
IT — Italy: Required by law — A written contract must contain a clause adapting the price to fuel costs; without it the contract counts as not written and the price follows the ministry’s reference costs. | When it applies: A change of more than 2% from signature or the last adjustment. | Reference price or index: Monthly diesel price surveys of the energy ministry (MASE). | D.Lgs. 286/2005, art. 6, c. 3 lett. d), c. 6 e 6-bis
DE — Germany: By contract — No statutory adjustment; the “Dieselfloater” is permitted as a cost-element clause (PrKG) and must be transparent in standard terms. | When it applies: As agreed. | Reference price or index: As agreed (e.g. EU Weekly Oil Bulletin for Germany). | PrKG § 1 Abs. 2 Nr. 3 · BGB §§ 307, 313
NL — Netherlands: By contract — The “brandstoftoeslag” is agreed by contract; without a clause a court changes the contract only for unforeseen circumstances, under strict conditions. | When it applies: As agreed. | Reference price or index: As agreed (e.g. CBS pump prices). | Burgerlijk Wetboek, art. 6:258
PL — Poland: By contract — Indexation freely agreed; a business cannot ask a court to revalue a claim linked to its business. | When it applies: As agreed. | Reference price or index: As agreed. | Kodeks cywilny, art. 357¹, 358¹ (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 795)
RO — Romania: By contract — The contract must be performed even if it became more onerous; a court adapts it only for an exceptional change under four cumulative conditions. | When it applies: As agreed. | Reference price or index: As agreed. | Codul civil, art. 1271
TR — Türkiye: By contract — The “yakıt farkı” comes from the contract; without a clause only judicial adaptation for excessive difficulty (art. 138 TBK) remains. | When it applies: As agreed. | Reference price or index: As agreed (EPDK monthly pricing report, distributor or fuel card price). | Türk Borçlar Kanunu (6098), m. 138
GB — United Kingdom: By contract — The fuel surcharge is a term of the haulage contract (fuel surcharge, fuel escalator or diesel clause). | When it applies: As agreed. | Reference price or index: As agreed (e.g. DESNZ weekly road fuel prices). | DESNZ, Weekly road fuel prices
Each row links its legal basis. The national prices of the other markets are in this calculator’s version in that country’s language.
How is a fuel surcharge calculated?
How is a fuel surcharge calculated? — Apply the percentage change in the diesel price only to the fuel share of the rate: surcharge = fuel share × (current price ÷ base price − 1).
Example with DESNZ weekly road fuel prices, ex VAT: base December 2025 at 121.43p a litre, current value the week of 21 September 2026 at 162.94p — a rise of 34.18%. With a 20.9% fuel share the surcharge is +7.14%; a £1,200 job ex VAT becomes £1,285.73.
The consumption method works in litres: surcharge in pounds = litres used × (current price per litre − base price). With an assumed 30 L/100 km over 800 km: 240 litres × 41.51p = £99.62. The calculator shows the fuel share that implies.
The most common spreadsheet mistake is multiplying the whole rate by the diesel rise. Fuel is only part of the cost; drivers, vehicles and tolls move differently.
In Logistivo this calculation travels with the quote: price per vehicle and base value in the quote, the surcharge later as its own line on the load’s invoice.
Is a fuel surcharge mandatory in the UK?
Is a fuel surcharge mandatory in the UK? — No. A fuel surcharge applies in the UK only when it is agreed in the quote, terms or contract.
Hauliers on fixed rates therefore need the clause before the job, not after the price has moved. The DESNZ weekly series is a common, public reference, and the clause should name it together with the base value and date.
For work into the EU the answer depends on the governing law: France (Code des transports, art. L. 3222-1 and L. 3222-2) and Spain (Ley 15/2009, art. 38) make the adjustment mandatory, and Italy requires the clause in written contracts. The market comparison above shows each rule, trigger and reference.
Which diesel price should the clause use?
Which diesel price should the clause use? — A published, checkable price excluding VAT — the same series for the base and the current value.
In the UK the DESNZ weekly road fuel prices are the usual public reference; others use their fuel card price or a supplier’s bunker price. VAT is recoverable and should not be in the calculation. In the DESNZ file, duty stayed at 52.95p and VAT at 20% from September 2025 to September 2026.
On European routes trucks refuel where it is cheapest; the price in the country of purchase or the fuel card price is then a better reference than the UK average. The EU publishes each country’s price in its Weekly Oil Bulletin.
The series changes the result: in France, the CNR diesel index rose 33.40% from December 2025 to July 2026 while the average ex-VAT pump price rose 25.96%. The clause should therefore name the series, base value and date — the generated clause does.
What share of a haulage rate is fuel?
What share of a haulage rate is fuel? — It depends on the work. As a published reference, France’s CNR uses 20.9% for long-distance articulated work in 2026, 19.2% for regional articulated and 16.3% for rigids.
The share moves every year with the diesel price and other costs: in CNR data for long distance it was 26.5% in 2023, 22.1% in 2025 and 20.9% in 2026.
Your own share from the consumption method is more precise: litres per job × price per litre at the base date ÷ rate. The fuel receipts drivers photograph in the Logistivo app provide the litres and price per litre.
To check whether the rate covers the whole cost per kilometre — fuel, driver, tolls — use the freight cost calculator. The tolls themselves, country by country along the route, come from the truck toll calculator for Europe.
How often should a fuel surcharge be updated? — As often as the price moves noticeably: per job or monthly is common; quarterly can be enough when prices are calm.
2026 showed why frequency matters: on monthly averages, UK diesel ex VAT rose 12.43% in March and 19.74% in April, fell 5.72% in June and 5.02% in July, and rose 8.59% in August.
A trigger (for example “from a 3% movement”) avoids tiny adjustments; the calculator shows whether it is reached. Make the clause work both ways, so the rate falls when diesel does.
Common fuel surcharge mistakes
Common fuel surcharge mistakes — They turn up in most spreadsheets; the calculator avoids them by design.
Multiplying the whole rate by the diesel rise — Only the fuel share is adjusted: a 34.18% price rise with a 20.9% share gives +7.14%, not +34.18%.
Using VAT-inclusive prices — VAT is recoverable and distorts the change whenever the rate moves — as it did in Spain and Poland in 2026. Work ex VAT.
No recorded base value — Without a base value and date in the contract the surcharge cannot be checked. Series, value and date belong in the clause.
Only passing on increases — A one-way clause invites disputes; let the surcharge fall when diesel gets cheaper.
Mixing pence and pounds — DESNZ publishes pence per litre. The calculator converts the series to pounds; if you type your own price per litre, use pounds (1.2143, not 121.43) to match a rate in pounds.
What Logistivo does with your fuel costs
What Logistivo does with your fuel costs — Existing platform features, connected to the calculation on this page.
Quotes priced per vehicle — Carriers answer requests from their network with a price per vehicle and a note carrying the base value.
One-step revision — A pending quote is revised: the old one is marked “revised”, the new price applies and the history stays visible.
A fuel line on the invoice — The invoice is raised from the load; the fuel surcharge is added as its own line with its tax rate.
Fuel receipts read by AI — The driver photographs the receipt: litres, price per litre, VAT and fuel card (DKV, UTA and others) are recognised, and the driver assigns it to the load.
Every load adjusted, invoiced and evidenced — in Logistivo
From price per vehicle to the fuel line on the invoice, Logistivo keeps the working for every load. Free account, no card needed.
Source
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero — Weekly road fuel prices (CSV 2018 onwards, updated 22 September 2026) — https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/weekly-road-fuel-prices
European Commission — Weekly Oil Bulletin — price history and VAT rates — https://energy.ec.europa.eu/data-and-analysis/weekly-oil-bulletin_en
droit.org (Légifrance data) — Code des transports, art. L. 3222-1, L. 3222-2, L. 3222-9, L. 3242-3 — https://codes.droit.org/PDF/Code%20des%20transports.pdf
Boletín Oficial del Estado — Ley 15/2009, art. 38 (consolidated) — https://www.boe.es/eli/es/l/2009/11/11/15/con
Boletín Oficial del Estado — Orden FOM/1882/2012, conditions 3.4 and 8.3 — https://www.boe.es/eli/es/o/2012/08/01/fom1882/con
Comité national routier (France) — CNR cost index weightings 2026 (fuel share) — https://www.cnr.fr/download/file/publications/CNR%20-%20Historique%20des%20pond%C3%A9rations%20indiciaires%20TRM%20-%202026.pdf
Frequently asked questions
What is a fuel surcharge in haulage?
A contract term that ties the rate to the diesel price: the fuel part of the rate rises or falls with an agreed reference price compared with a base value.
Is a fuel surcharge a legal requirement in the UK?
No. It applies only when agreed. It is a legal requirement in France and Spain, and Italy requires a fuel clause in written haulage contracts.
Which diesel price should I use as the base?
A published price ex VAT — such as the DESNZ weekly UK average for diesel or your fuel card price — on the agreed base date, and the same series for the current calculation.
What fuel share should I use?
Published reference: the CNR 2026 weightings of 20.9% long-distance articulated, 19.2% regional articulated and 16.3% rigid. The consumption method gives your own share.
Should the surcharge come down when diesel falls?
Yes, a two-way clause is the usual practice and avoids disputes; the statutory mechanisms in France and Spain also work both ways.
Is there a fuel surcharge calculator in Excel?
This calculator replaces the spreadsheet: it works by share or consumption, shows the formula with your figures and generates the clause to copy.
Can Logistivo put the fuel surcharge on the invoice?
Yes. In Logistivo the invoice is raised from the load; each line has a description, quantity, unit price and tax rate, so the fuel surcharge sits separately from the freight.
Does Logistivo know what we actually pay for diesel?
For recorded fills, yes: the driver photographs the receipt in the app, Logistivo’s AI reads litres, price per litre, VAT and the fuel card (DKV, UTA and others), and the driver assigns it to the load.
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