€2,190 for 1,000 litres: What our ETS2 tank fill would cost in real life!

The first calculation is simple: 1,000 × €2.19 equals €2,190. The important addition, however, is that €2.19 is the latest German ADAC weekly average published on 30 July 2026 – not a filling-station price that applies everywhere and at every time of day. Fuel prices change constantly and vary by region, supplier, location and time.

That is where the more interesting part begins. In 2026, the ADAC evaluated prices at more than 14,000 German filling stations, including around 360 located directly on motorways. During the period examined, from 6 to 19 April, diesel at motorway filling stations cost an average of 33 cents more per litre than away from the motorway. Across 1,000 litres, that is a difference of around €330. If we apply this average surcharge to the weekly figure from 30 July purely as a thought experiment, we arrive at €2.52 per litre and €2,520 for the fill. This is not an observed price at a particular station, but a transparent model calculation using two different datasets. Even so, the ADAC comparison shows very clearly what the location can mean financially.

Even more surprising is the range among the motorway stations examined. For diesel, the stations’ average prices ranged from €2.25 to €2.75 per litre – a gap of just over 50 cents. With 1,000 litres, 50 cents would theoretically mean a €500 difference. Fill up at the wrong place once, and the bill can be several hundred euros higher.

For a heavy commercial vehicle, 1,000 litres is not pure fantasy. One specific DAF XG 480 documented by the manufacturer has two aluminium tanks holding 620 litres each, giving a total of 1,240 litres. At the ADAC weekly average from 30 July, that is 1,240 × €2.19 = €2,715.60. This does not mean every long-haul truck carries 1,000 or 1,240 litres. Model, wheelbase, axle configuration, application and equipment can significantly change the available installation space. Scania lists sizes from 165 to 910 litres for its D-shaped aluminium tanks. A “1,000-litre tank” can also consist of several containers – as in the DAF example, with 620 litres on the left and 620 litres on the right.

ETS2 does simulate part of this. In the current regular version 1.60, tank capacity depends on the chosen truck, chassis and, in some cases, tank package. When reworking the Scania R and S, for example, SCS listed 1,070 or 1,290 litres for the 4x2 chassis, 510 or 600 litres for the 6x2 and 965 or 1,000 litres for the long 6x2. The choice in the configurator therefore also changes our potential range. Technically, however, the game uses one stored total capacity in litres for refuelling; left- and right-hand tanks are not treated as two separate purchases with their own billing.

Fuel consumption has also been more than a static decoration for a long time. With Update 1.6 on 16 October 2013, SCS introduced the “Realistic fuel consumption” option. It remains available and lets the advanced model derive consumption from factors including engine state, rpm and throttle position instead of determining it solely through the simplified Eco-Driving calculation. For almost 13 years, then, we have been able to calculate consumption more realistically in ETS2 – but the game barely communicates what those litres actually cost a real fleet.

A universal statement such as “a long-haul truck always uses 25 litres” would still be misleading. In its VECTO simulation model, the European Commission takes account of rolling resistance, aerodynamic drag, vehicle mass and inertia, gearbox losses, auxiliary power and engine characteristics, as well as different mission profiles. In practice, load, speed, gradients, traffic, weather and driving style also matter.

For an accessible thought experiment, we can still calculate three scenarios. At 25 litres per 100 kilometres, 1,000 litres would theoretically cover 4,000 kilometres. At 30 litres, the figure is around 3,333 kilometres; at 35 litres, around 2,857 kilometres. The word “theoretically” matters because in normal operation we would not run a real tank from exactly 1,000 litres down to zero, and consumption never remains perfectly constant throughout a long journey.

Our next 2,000-kilometre delivery makes the numbers even easier to grasp. In the 25-litre scenario, we use 500 litres; at the ADAC weekly average from 30 July, that costs €1,095. At 30 litres per 100 kilometres, 600 litres become €1,314. At 35 litres, we use 700 litres costing €1,533. Our 2,000-kilometre ETS2 job can therefore generate well over €1,000 in operating costs from diesel alone.

And that really is only the fuel. Road tolls, driver pay and employer costs, financing or leasing, tyres, maintenance, repairs, insurance, administration, depreciation, empty running and waiting time are not included. The logical next calculation is therefore: what would our complete 2,000-kilometre ETS2 job cost in real life?

The €2,190 shown at the pump is not automatically every haulage company’s final economic cost either. The ADAC figure is a gross consumer price. Companies may use fuel cards, framework agreements and fleet conditions, fill up internationally at different prices and – where the tax requirements are met – deduct input VAT. Germany’s gross price generally includes 19 per cent VAT. Since 1 July 2026, low-sulphur diesel has also once again been subject to the regular energy-tax rate of €470.40 per 1,000 litres, or 47.04 cents per litre. From 1 May to 30 June 2026, that rate was temporarily reduced to €330 per 1,000 litres. Crude oil, refining, transport, retail and other components make a full breakdown of the litre price considerably more complex than two tax items.

For a real fleet, the simple question “Where do we fill up?” therefore becomes a strategy. A calculated difference of €330 on a 1,000-litre fill becomes €3,300 across ten identical refuelling stops and €33,000 across 100. This is explicitly not a real fleet balance sheet; it merely shows how quickly a price gap scales.

This is exactly where ETS2 could deepen its economy one day: prices that vary more strongly by region, motorway location and time of day, planned fuel stops, fuel-card contracts or requirements to use partner stations. With a large tank, we could deliberately use cheaper locations and avoid expensive motorway stations. SCS has not announced such a system. As an optional management layer, however, it could turn the tank from a simple range bar into a genuine haulage-company decision. In the game, refuelling costs money – in real long-haul transport, fuel strategy helps decide whether a job remains profitable.

Would you leave the motorway and plan a fuel stop to save €330 in ETS2 – or should refuelling remain simple in the simulator? Should fuel cards, partner stations and stronger regional price differences become part of an optional economy mode?