Residents of Bornholm are sailing to Sweden to fill up their cars, where petrol currently costs around 6 kroner less per liter than in Denmark.
As DR reported on September 21, a growing number of islanders now wait to refuel until they reach Ystad in Sweden. They cross with the ferry operator Bornholmslinjen, which links the island to the Swedish port.
Danish petrol and diesel prices have risen sharply. According to figures from FDM and Circle K Sweden, cited by DR, a liter of petrol costs 17.89 kroner in Denmark and about 11.74 kroner in Sweden. DR notes the same price gap applies to diesel.
One driver, Carl Dyppel Frederiksen from Bornholm, told DR he had brought a 20 liter jerrycan with him in the car. Counting the fuel he pumped in Ystad and the distance he had driven, he put his total saving at 500 kroner.
Per Jesper Maack, press chief at Bornholmslinjen, passengers may carry a reserve canister of up to 25 liters on board. The ferry must be informed in those cases. Canisters of 5 liters or less do not require notification.
Why Swedish fuel is cheaper
DR reports that the low Swedish prices follow a special EU authorization allowing the Swedish government to reduce its fuel duties. The permission is set out in an EU implementing decision. Denmark has not made a comparable cut.
Instead, the Danish government has chosen to raise the kørselsfradrag, the tax deduction for commuting distance. The measure applies to drivers with longer journeys to work.
Jens Jørgen Larsen from Kalundborg, who regularly drives through Sweden to visit family on Bornholm, told DR that Danish politicians should take inspiration from the Swedish approach. He said driving has become too expensive for ordinary Danes. Because his own commute is short, he does not receive the commuting deduction.
Fuel is one of the household expenses covered in guides to the cost of living in Denmark. For Bornholm residents, the ferry route to Ystad is a standard connection to the mainland, since the island lies closer to Sweden than to Zealand.
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DR photographed drivers filling up at a Circle K station in Ystad on September 18. The images show both car tanks and separate canisters being filled before the return journey.
