Fuels used for road transport in the EU have to meet strict quality requirements to protect human health and the environment and make sure that vehicles can safely travel from one country to another.
Common fuel quality rules help:
- reduce greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions
- establish a single fuel market and ensure that vehicles can operate everywhere in the EU on the basis of compatible fuels.
The Fuel Quality Directive applies to:
- petrol, diesel and biofuels used in road transport
- gasoil used in non-road-mobile machinery.
Reducing air pollution and ensuring fuel compatibility
To minimise the negative effects on health and environment from the use of petrol and diesel fuels in road transport, the Fuel Quality Directive establishes minimum quality requirements, including:
- sulphur oxide
- metallic emissions (lead, manganese)
- particulate matter
- hydrocarbons (olefins, benzene, aromatics)
- polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)
- vapour pressure of summer petrol
The fuel specifications also have the objective to ensure that fuels are compatible with engines and the after-treatment of exhaust gases, such as catalytic filters. For this reason, there is a limit in blending certain types of biofuels, which are not compatible with all engines. In diesel, the content of biodiesel, or FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester) is generally limited to 7%. In petrol, the content of ethanol is limited to 10%.
Reducing the greenhouse gas intensity of fuels
The Fuel Quality Directive used to require a reduction of the greenhouse gas intensity of transport fuels by at least 6% by 2020. In 2023, it was amended by the revised Renewable Energy Directive. This amendment removed the greenhouse gas intensity reduction target from the Fuel Quality Directive and introduced an ambitious 2030 target for transport fuels and energy carriers in the revised Renewable Energy Directive.
Monitoring and reporting
Member States report the volume and quality of petrol and diesel fuels sold in their territories. Specifically, they must sample fuels each year and analyse them to ensure they are consistent with the requirements of the Fuel Quality Directive. This reporting stream supports our overall aim to minimise negative effects on the environment and human health, and to ensure compatibility with vehicle engines.
Based on the collected data, each year in October, the European Commission publishes its report on fuel quality. It provides an overview of the type and volume of compliant fuels placed on the market, as well as the decarbonisation achievements by Member States (the latest report can be found under Fuel Quality Monitoring in the Documents section below).
- 20/04/2015 - Council Directive (EU) 2015/652 - Calculation methods and reporting requirements relating to the quality of petrol and diesel fuels
- 24/12/2018 - Directive 98/70/EC - The quality of petrol and diesel fuels - Consolidated version
- 23/04/2009 - Directive 2009/30/EC - Amending the specification of petrol, diesel and gas-oil and introducing a mechanism to monitor and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, amending the specification of fuel used by inland waterway vessels and repealing Directive 93/12/EEC
- 31/05/2017 - SWD/2017/178 - Evaluation of Directive 98/70/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council relating to the quality of petrol and diesel fuels ('Fuel Quality Directive')
- 27/09/2016 - Data requirements and principles for calculating the life cycle GHG intensity of novel transport fuels and invitation to submit data
- 06/10/2014 - COM (2014) 617 - Proposal for a Council directive on laying down calculation methods and reporting requirements pursuant to Directive 98/70/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council relating to the quality of petrol and diesel fuels
- 06/10/2014 - COM (2014) 617 Annexes - Methodology for the calculation and reporting of the life cycle greenhouse gas intensity of fuels and energy by fuel suppliers
- 06/10/2014 - SWD (2014) 295 - Executive summary of the impact assessment
- 06/10/2014 - SWD (2014) 296 - Impact assessment
- MEMO 14/1095 - Climate action: Reducing the carbon content of transport fuels
- 17/10/2012 - COM (2012) 595 - Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of te council amending Directive 98/70/EC relating to the quality of petrol and diesel fuels and amending Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources
- 17/10/2012 - SWD (2012) 344 - Executive summary of the impact assessment
- 17/10/2012 - SWD (2012) 343 - Impact assessment
- IP/12/1112 - New Commission proposal to minimise the climate impacts of biofuel production
- MEMO/12/787 - Q&A - Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC)
These documents were developed for the environmental and health risk assessment of metallic fuel additives currently available or expected to be on the market in the future.
Derogations
- 06/11/2025 – SWD/2025/347 - Technical information accompanying EU Climate Action Progress Report 2025, Section 6 Report on the quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union (Reporting year 2023)
- 31/10/2024 – SWD/2024/249 - Technical information accompanying EU Climate Action Progress Report 2024, Section 5 Report on the Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union (Reporting year 2022)
- 24/10/2023 - COM/2023/0655 - Report from the Commission - Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union (Reporting year 2021)
- 26/10/2022 - COM/2022/0515 - Report from the Commission - Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union (Reporting year 2020)
- 26/10/2021 - COM/2021/0961 - Report from the Commission - Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union (Reporting year 2019)
- 19/11/2020 - COM/2020/0742 - Report from the Commission - Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union (Reporting year 2018)
- 31/10/2019 - COM/2019/0561 - Report from the Commission - Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union (Reporting year 2017)
- 31/05/2017 - COM/2017/0284 - Report from the Commission - Quality of petrol and diesel fuels
- 25/02/2015 - COM/2015/0070 - Report from the Commission - Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union: Twelfth annual report (Reporting year 2013)
- 14/11/2014 - EU Fuel Quality Monitoring – 2013 Summary Report
- 10/03/2014 - COM/2014/0127 - Report from the Commission - Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union: Eleventh annual report (Reporting year 2012)
- 26/06/2013 - COM/2013/0458 - Report from the Commission - Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union: Tenth annual report (Reporting year 2011)
- 13/12/2012 - COM/2012/0749 - Report from the Commission - Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union: Ninth annual report (Reporting year 2010)
- 23/03/2012 - COM/2012/0127 - Report from the Commission - Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union: Eighth annual report (Reporting year 2009)
- 11/03/2011 - COM/2011/0116 - Report from the Commission - Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union: Seventh annual report (Reporting year 2008)
- 11/03/2011 - COM/2011/0113 - Report from the Commission - Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union: Sixth annual report (Reporting year 2007)
- Detailed Fuel Quality Monitoring Summary Reports including Member State data
- 01/12/2008 - COM/2008/0799 - Report from the Commission - Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union: Fifth annual report(Reporting year 2006)
- 17/10/2007 - COM/2007/0617 - Report from the Commission - Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union: Fourth annual report (Reporting year 2005)
- 28/04/2006 - COM/2006/0186 - Report from the Commission - Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union - Third annual report (Reporting year 2004)
- 02/03/2005 - COM/2005/0069 - Report from the Commission - Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union - Second annual report (Reporting year 2003)
- 27/04/2004 - COM/2004/0310 - Report from the Commission - Quality of gasoline and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union - First annual report (Reporting years 2001 and 2002)
- 11/2021 - Support study on the evaluation of Article 7A of the Fuel Quality Directive and assessment of approaches to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport fuels
- 07/2021 - Technical Assessment of Transport Fuel Quality Parameters
- 06/2017 - Evaluation study of Directive 98/70/EC of 13 October 1998 relating to the quality of petrol and diesel fuels as amended
- 06/2017 - Support for the preparation of reports under Article 9 (1) (c) and (j) of Directive 98/70/EC on the quality of petrol and diesel fuels. Fuel specification for non-road mobile machinery
- 06/2017 - Impact of higher levels of bio components in transport fuels in the context of the Directive 98/70/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 October 1998, relating to the quality of petrol and diesel fuels and amending Council Directive 93/12/EEC
- 12/2014 - Crude oil greenhouse gas emissions calculation methodology for the fuel quality directive (Disclaimer: The policy options in this expert study do not represent the view of the Commission services)
- 20/10/2014 - The reduction of upstream greenhouse gas emissions from flaring and venting
- 10/01/2011 - Modelling work carried out for the Commission to inform its understanding of the indirect land use change associated with biofuels and bioliquids