Across Europe, a war-driven oil shock has illuminated a quieter, structural reality: nearly half of what drivers pay at the pump has always belonged to the state. With EU petrol averaging €2.063 per litre in mid-September 2026 — a record since tracking began — the Netherlands, Denmark, and Finland lead a bloc where taxes exceed €1 per litre in seven nations. Governments designed these burdens as instruments of climate policy and energy security, yet the same crisis that exposed their weight is now testing their political durability.