Last February, a friend from Munich flew in for a week on Gran Canaria. He’d budgeted €120 for petrol based on what he’d spend driving around Bavaria. By day five, he’d spent €38 total and couldn’t believe it.
That’s the thing about fuel costs on this island – people always overestimate them.
A lap around Gran Canaria: what you’ll actually spend
Gran Canaria measures about 50 km across at its widest point. The full coastal loop – from Las Palmas down the GC-1 motorway to Maspalomas, across the west coast through Mogán and Agaete, and back along the northern GC-2 – covers roughly 230 km. In a small rental hatchback, that’s about 15 litres of fuel.
At the early 2026 price of roughly €1.10 per litre for unleaded 95, the full coastal circuit costs about €17 in petrol. Throw in a detour up to Roque Nublo through the mountain roads and you add maybe €5 more. A full week of daily driving rarely pushes past €40.
Where to fill up (and where to avoid)
I lived near Vecindario for a year, and I quickly learned which stations offered the best prices. The pattern holds in 2026: stations along the GC-1 motorway between Telde and Maspalomas tend to be the cheapest on the island. The DISA station near the Arinaga junction regularly posts prices 4 to 5 cents below Las Palmas city stations.
Las Palmas itself – especially around the port area and Mesa y López – charges a premium. I once paid €1.18 per litre near the Corte Inglés downtown while the GC-1 stations were showing €1.10. That’s 8 cents per litre difference, or roughly €4 on a full tank.
My go-to approach: fill up on the motorway before heading into the city or the mountains. You will not find many stations in the interior once you pass Tejeda.
The DISA brand dominates Gran Canaria and often undercuts Repsol and Cepsa by 2 to 4 cents per litre. BP has a small presence, mainly around Las Palmas port.
Hiperdino supermarkets have affiliated fuel stations on the island, and their prices tend to sit 2 to 3 cents below the local average. There is one near the Vecindario commercial area that I used regularly – it consistently matched or beat the cheapest GC-1 motorway stations.
Comparing Gran Canaria fuel to the rest of Europe
Gran Canaria benefits from the same Canary Islands tax breaks as the other islands. The REF fiscal regime means no mainland hydrocarbon tax, and the local IGIC rate is 7% instead of the mainland’s 21% IVA. The result shows up clearly at the pump:
- Gran Canaria unleaded 95: €1.05–€1.15/litre
- Madrid unleaded 95: €1.31–€1.62/litre
- Germany unleaded 95: €1.70–€1.85/litre
- UK unleaded: £1.50/litre (~€1.75)
For my Bavarian friend, filling a 50-litre tank in Gran Canaria saved him about €35 compared to what he’d pay back home. Over a week of holiday driving, that’s a free lunch at a chiringuito in Puerto de Mogán.
Three road trips and their fuel costs
Here are three popular Gran Canaria routes I’ve driven multiple times, with real fuel costs from early 2026:
Route 1: Las Palmas to Maspalomas via GC-1 – 55 km one way, about 4 litres of fuel. Cost: roughly €4.40. The motorway is fast and flat, so consumption stays low.
Route 2: Maspalomas to Puerto de Mogán via GC-500 – 40 km of twisting coastal road. Beautiful drive. Higher consumption due to constant climbing – about 4.5 litres, costing around €5.
Route 3: Cruz de Tejeda mountain circuit – starting from Vecindario, up through San Bartolome, Tejeda, Artenara, and back via Teror. Around 120 km with a lot of altitude gain. Budget roughly 10 litres and EUR 11.
The mountain roads are twisty and your engine works harder, so consumption runs about 20% above motorway driving.
If your rental is diesel, subtract roughly 15% from each of these costs. Diesel on Gran Canaria runs 5 to 8 cents cheaper per litre than unleaded 95, and diesel engines tend to be more efficient on these steep mountain roads.
Tips that save a few more euros
I keep an eye on petrol prices in Gran Canaria to track which stations offer the best rates each week. Prices bounce around by a few cents, and the cheapest station last month might not be the cheapest this month.
A Hiperdino loyalty card knocks 2 to 3 cents off per litre at partner fuel stations. For a two-week holiday, that’s a small saving. For residents, it adds up to €30 or €40 over a year.
The DISA App is free and gives registered users an additional 2 to 4 cents off per litre. Even on a short holiday, downloading it before your trip means you start saving from the first fill. The app also shows real-time prices at every station on the island, which takes the guesswork out of choosing where to stop.
Rental companies at Gran Canaria airport push the prepaid fuel option hard. Skip it. Fill up at the DISA station on the GC-1 near the airport exit – it takes five minutes and saves you EUR 10 to EUR 15 compared to the prepaid rate.
One more thing: fuel prices here typically update on Thursdays, so filling up on Wednesday evening can save you a few cents if prices are trending upward.
Keep an eye on prices
Global oil markets still affect prices here, just from a much lower starting point. I follow Gran Canaria news for any local changes – port disruptions or tax adjustments can shift prices for a week or two. But even at their peak, Gran Canaria pump prices stay well below what the rest of Europe pays.