Report published September 24, 2026
Drivers Are Buying Less Fuel and Watching Their Spending – ABN AMRO Economic Analysis
ABN AMRO · September 24, 2026
ABN AMRO transaction data reveals that Dutch drivers cut fuel consumption by 12% year-on-year following energy price shocks and excise tax increases, limiting spending increases to 6%. While aggregate non-fuel consumption remained resilient, lower-income drivers cut non-fuel spending growth by 1.3 percentage points.
Read the remaining 4 pages
Finvaulta summarizes ABN AMRO's analysis. Attribute opinions, forecasts, time-sensitive values, and chronology to the issuer and report date; do not treat this page as an independent verification or a current market-data source.
Key Takeaways
- 1.Drivers reduced monthly fuel consumption by ~12% year-on-year since March in response to excise tax hikes and geopolitical energy shocks.
- 2.Lower consumption limited the net increase in monthly fuel expenditures to 6% yoy (~EUR 10 more per month to EUR 150 for typical active drivers).
- 3.Drivers in lower-income brackets and major urban centers cut fuel usage more sharply (-13% and -14% respectively) due to budget pressures and public transit availability.
Table of Contents
- Energy prices much higher
- Drivers shift refuelling in anticipation of price changes
- High prices curb demand for fuel
- Other spending remains resilient, at least at the aggregate level
- Economic implications and policy considerations
Report data
Fuel expenditure increases despite lower consumption
| Metric | Estimate | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel consumption change among active drivers | -12.0% | Drop in average monthly fuel purchases per active driver |
| Fuel expenditure change among active drivers | 6.0% | Increase in monthly fuel spending despite falling volumes |
| Monthly fuel purchased by typical active driver | 80.0 litres | Decreased from ~90 litres in the previous year |
| Brent crude price spike | 120.0 USD/barrel | Brent rose around 30% to ~USD 120/bbl following reports of conflict escalation |
| Non-fuel spending growth difference for low-income drivers vs control | -1.3 percentage points | Spending growth among low-income active drivers was weaker than control group |
Access the full report
And others from the leading tier 1 banks.
Free account: read previews and a daily allowance of full reports. Pro removes the daily limit.