Petrol prices: Drivers in Europe pay up to three times more than in the UAE and USA

When it comes to hiring a car abroad, the price of a tank of petrol can vary by up to £70 depending on where you are on holiday.

If you hire a Ford Focus in the United Arab Emirates you can expect to pay just £16.43 for a tank of petrol, but in Turkey the price of filling your car more than triples to £86.92.

The figures, revealed by car hire company Holiday Autos, show how tourists can easily be caught out by expensive petrol prices when travelling abroad.

The open road: Petrol prices in America are among the cheapest in the world

While many holidaymakers take into account the price of car hire and insurance, plenty forget to check the price of fuel before committing to a driving holiday.

Luckily, those considering that popular holiday option - the great American road trip - will be pleased to know that the US has the second-lowest petrol prices in the world, setting drivers back just £32.33 to fill up a Ford Focus.

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But if you want to drive in Canada, the price of petrol jumps to £42.93 and South Africa and Australia are not far behind, with petrol costing £47.70 and £49.82 respectively.

However, the most expensive countries for petrol are those in Europe, particularly in the popular holiday spots of Turkey, Holland, Greece and Italy.

Vine times: Touring European countries like Italy can be much pricier when it comes to filling up

Kevin Currie, Managing Director of Holiday Autos commented: "More often than not, the rising cost of foreign fuel prices is something many drivers don’t consider when booking a hire car abroad – a reality many get caught out by when arriving on foreign soil.

"Although traditionally this wasn’t a major concern for many UK holidaymakers travelling within the Eurozone, the effects of the recession and the relative robustness of the euro against the pound is becoming a major concern."

While in Turkey, the price of filling a car is £86.92, it is little better in Holland at £81.09 or in Greece and Italy where petrol costs £77.89 and £77.71.

The cheapest European countries for petrol are Croatia, which came in fifth place overall with a tank costing £60.42 and mainland Spain, where it costs £63.30.

Although not included in the survey, the average cost in the UK for a tank of petrol would be £72.61, placing it between Portugal and France in 14th and 15th place in the price survey.

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