Fuel eats into the margin fastest where the route is long and motorway is scarce, and that is exactly what Romania looks like. A truck-trailer running from Nădlac through Sibiu to Bucharest, and then to the port at Constanța, covers several hundred kilometres, a good chunk of which are national DN roads without a continuous network of motorway stations. On such a stretch, the decision of what and where you fuel shifts the result of the whole load.
This guide focuses solely on Romania: the Romanian leu (RON) instead of the forint or the koruna, Romanian excise and VAT (raised to 21% on 1 August 2025), and the Romanian A1, A2 and A3 corridors. We will show the card price, the stations along the way and the VAT refund, and at the end we compare the Orlen, E100, DKV, Shell, BP, UTA, Circle K and Moya cards with the OMV card you can get through ONYX (an official OMV agent, service in Polish). If you are also interested in the road-cost side, drop by our page on fuel cards for companies and road tolls in Europe.
Quick answer: what a fuel card in Romania is and what it gives the fleet
A fuel card in Romania is a company tool for cashless diesel refueling at the card price, with a single consolidated invoice and a deferred payment term. The driver authorizes refueling with a PIN, and the company pays later, without settling lei at each station separately. Unlike Serbia, Romania is in the EU, so the card here additionally provides the basis for a VAT refund.
| What you get | The specifics on the Romanian route |
|---|---|
| Card price | Fleet discount against the retail price on the pylon, after the discount it can drop to the spot price level at Polish Orlen |
| Network along the way | OMV Petrom stations (the largest network in Romania) and OMV on the A1, A2, A3 and long DN roads, without leaving the route |
| One card for the region | CZ, SK, HU, SI, RS, RO + more than 20,000 stations in the ROUTEX network |
| Payment term | Up to 30 days of deferral, with no interest when paid on time |
| VAT refund | VAT 21% (raised from 19% on 1 Aug 2025) reclaimable through the VAT-REFUND procedure via ANAF |
| Fixed costs | No subscription and no hidden fees, no minimum volume |
Recommendation: for transit through Romania the OMV card through ONYX works best, because OMV Petrom has the densest network in the whole region here, while you get a single settlement, a single reference currency, a discount along the whole route and a basis for a VAT refund. We described the product details and the mechanics of discounts in the mega-guide on OMV fuel cards.
Why Romania in particular is key to your fleet’s fuel cost
Romania is one of those countries where the difference between a good and a bad refueling plan shows up immediately in the load’s result. Distances are large, motorways are still scarce, and the station network is uneven, so fuel here has to be planned, not filled up “wherever it happens”.
Romania as a destination and transit country (the Balkans, the port of Constanța, the eastern direction)
Romania plays two roles at once. It is a destination country for loads heading to Bucharest, Timișoara, Brașov or Cluj, and it is a transit corridor towards the port of Constanța on the Black Sea and further east, towards Moldova and Ukraine. The natural entry from the EU runs through the Nădlac II crossing on the border with Hungary, which makes Romania a simple extension of the route through Hungary.
For the carrier this means Romania is rarely a “short hop”. Usually it is several hundred kilometres across the country, and often a full west-to-east run from Nădlac to Constanța. The route through Hungary, being the approach to the border, is a separate topic that we covered in the piece on the fuel card in Hungary.
Long stretches and the OMV Petrom network, why planning refueling matters more here
Romania differs from the Czech Republic or Slovakia in one important thing: the motorway is not yet continuous along the whole main axis. The A1 has finished sections and sections under construction, and a large part of the traffic still runs on national DN roads, where stations adapted to trucks are rarer and more scattered. This makes running “on the edge” with an almost empty tank risky here.
The advantage here comes from the OMV Petrom network, the largest network of stations in the country (an OMV group brand, the former national concern Petrom). The OMV card covers both OMV and Petrom stations, so coverage on the Romanian route is denser than with any intermediary card. In practice you plan refueling around Petrom junctions, not around single acceptance points.
How much fuel you actually burn crossing Romania (a route calculation)
A standard tractor-trailer combination burns on average 28 to 33 litres per 100 km; in the calculation we assume about 30 l/100 km. A full run along the A1 axis from Nădlac through Sibiu to Bucharest, and then the A2 to Constanța, is well over 700 km on Romanian territory.
| Section on Romanian territory | Distance | Consumption (approx. 30 l/100 km) |
|---|---|---|
| Nădlac II (HU border), Arad, Deva (A1) | ~185 km | ~56 litres |
| Deva, Sibiu (A1, mountain and DN sections) | ~130 km | ~39 litres |
| Sibiu, Pitești, București (A1) | ~250 km | ~75 litres |
| București, Constanța (A2 “Autostrada Soarelui”) | ~225 km | ~68 litres |
| București, Ploiești, Brașov (DN1/A3, towards Transylvania) | ~170 km | ~51 litres |
A full west-to-east run from Nădlac to the port of Constanța is about 760 km and over 230 litres of diesel burned on a single combination. At such a distance, a difference of several dozen groszy per litre between the retail and the card price is really several hundred złoty on a single run, and with regular runs to Romania, several thousand złoty a year on one vehicle. Adding the VAT refund, the saving grows even more.
HGV corridors in Romania: where to fuel along the way, without leaving the route
The Romanian motorway network is arranged around three main axes: the A1 (west-east), the A2 (Bucharest, port of Constanța) and the A3 (Transylvania), connected by long stretches of national DN roads where the motorway is still missing. Below we break down each corridor separately, indicating where to fuel.
Where to fuel a truck in Romania along the way on the A1, A2 and A3?
In short: on the A1 axis Nădlac II, Arad, Deva, Sibiu, Pitești, București (the main west-east corridor), on the A2 București, Constanța (towards the port and the Balkans) and on the A3 in the Transylvania region, and between the motorway sections on the national DN roads. Key refueling junctions are Nădlac/Arad on entry, Sibiu, Deva, the Bucharest ring road, Ploiești, Brașov, Timișoara and Constanța. Along these routes the densest network is OMV Petrom, accepting the OMV card at the card price.
A1 (Nădlac II, Arad, Sibiu, București, the main west-east axis)
The A1 is the backbone of traffic from Central Europe deep into Romania. It starts at the Nădlac II crossing on the border with Hungary, runs through Arad and Deva, through the tougher mountain section around Sibiu, and on through Pitești to Bucharest. Part of the route is already full motorway, part still runs on national DN road, especially between Deva and Sibiu.
On the A1, plan the first big refueling as early as the Arad region, just after the border, where the OMV Petrom network is dense. The next sensible points are Deva and Sibiu (before the mountain and DN sections), followed by the area around Pitești before the approach to the capital. The rule is simple: do not enter a DN section with an almost empty tank, because stations for trucks there are rarer.
A2 “Autostrada Soarelui” (București, Constanța, the port and the Balkans)
The A2, known as “Autostrada Soarelui” (the Motorway of the Sun), is the best developed and most consistent motorway section in Romania, connecting Bucharest with the port of Constanța on the Black Sea. It is a critical route for maritime, container and export loads passing through the port, as well as for traffic towards the coast.
On the A2 refueling is simpler than on the A1, because the motorway is continuous and the stations at the junctions are well distributed. A practical recommendation: do the big refueling on the Bucharest ring road before entering the A2, and a possible top-up in the Fetești area or just before Constanța, especially if after unloading at the port you turn back west and want to run with a reserve.
A3 and long DN stretches (where the motorway is missing, how to plan the tanks)
The A3 (Autostrada Transilvania) is a corridor towards Transylvania and the north-west of the country, delivered in stages, with finished sections and sections still under construction. In practice, traffic in this direction often shifts onto national DN roads, including the famous, heavily loaded routes around Brașov and the Carpathian passes.
Here planning the tanks matters most in all of Romania. On the long DN stretches, where stations adapted to trucks are rare and far apart, an iron rule applies: fuel with a reserve before entering a section without a motorway, using the Ploiești, Brașov or Sibiu junctions as checkpoints. Pulling off “in search of a station” on a narrow DN costs far more time than on the motorway.
Map of the OMV / OMV Petrom network at the key junctions
The fuel network in Romania is dominated by OMV Petrom, which is a unique situation in the region and the main argument for the OMV card in this direction. Below is a summary of refueling junctions on the individual corridors.
| Corridor | Key refueling junctions | Logistics note |
|---|---|---|
| A1 (west) | Nădlac II, Arad, Deva | The first dense OMV Petrom network right after the HU border |
| A1 (middle) | Sibiu, Pitești | Fuel before the mountain and DN sections between Deva and Sibiu |
| A1/A2 (junction) | Bucharest ring road | The best point for a big refueling before the A2 or A3 |
| A2 (port) | Fetești, Constanța | Continuous motorway, fuel before or after unloading at the port |
| A3 / DN | Ploiești, Brașov, Timișoara | Sections without a motorway, fuel with a reserve, stations rarer |
Alongside the own OMV and OMV Petrom stations at these junctions there are also Rompetrol (KMG), Lukoil, MOL and Socar, but it is OMV Petrom that has the largest number of points in the country. The OMV card, through the ROUTEX network, additionally covers part of the partner stations, which thickens coverage beyond the own network, useful for deliveries to cities outside the corridor itself.
Fuel prices in Romania 2026: RON vs PLN (how much you really save)
The price per litre in Romania is shaped by the market, without the weekly administrative regulation known from Serbia. For the carrier, two variables matter most: the leu rate (RON) and whether you fuel at the retail or the card price.
How much does diesel cost in Romania in 2026 (RON vs PLN)?
As of 2026: the price of diesel in Romania is roughly 7.0 to 7.6 RON per litre. At a rate close to 0.88 PLN per 1 RON this gives about 6.2 to 6.7 PLN per litre at retail. These are indicative figures, because the leu rate is variable, so before a big refueling it is worth checking the current conversion.
| Item | Value in RON | Conversion to PLN (rate ~0.88) |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel, retail price | ~7.0 to 7.6 RON/l | ~6.2 to 6.7 PLN/l |
| Reference rate RON/PLN | 1 RON | ~0.88 PLN |
| Full 500 l refueling (retail) | ~3,500 to 3,800 RON | ~3,100 to 3,350 PLN |
Spot price vs price after the discount with the OMV card
In Romania the card price refers to the market price of fuel, but the card takes off the fleet discount and eliminates the currency spread on conversion. It is worth distinguishing three price levels.
- Retail price on the pylon: what the driver pays in cash or with a private card, with the full currency spread when exchanging into lei.
- Card price: the same market base, but settled at the reference rate in the consolidated invoice, without a bureau-de-change markup.
- Card price after the OMV discount: additionally reduced by an individually negotiated volume discount, which at an appropriate volume can drop to the spot price level at Polish Orlen, and after deducting the VAT refund the real cost is lower still.
Comparison: fueling in Romania vs fueling before the border (Hungary/PL)
A frequent dispatcher question is: fuel before the border, or already in Romania? The answer depends on the rate, the discount and how many kilometres you really add. Below are three typical scenarios.
| Scenario | Price per litre (indicative) | Added km | Conclusion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fueling in Hungary before Nădlac II | dependent on HUF and the market | 0 to 10 km for the detour | Competitive, but without the Romanian VAT refund |
| Retail in Romania on the pylon | ~6.2 to 6.7 PLN/l | 0 km (along the way) | Convenient, but with the full currency spread |
| OMV card in Romania | market price minus fleet discount | 0 km (OMV Petrom stations on the A1/A2/A3) | The lowest real cost on the Romanian stretch, plus a 21% VAT refund |
Practical conclusion: on the Romanian stretch the point is not to arrive “with a reserve from Hungary”, but to fuel with the card wherever you happen to be, using the dense OMV Petrom network, the discount and the VAT refund. Adding kilometres for a cheaper station almost never pays off at distances of the order of 700 km and more. You will find more on the very mechanics of optimization in the guide how to fuel cheaply across the fleet.
VAT refund on fuel in Romania: how to reclaim the tax from card invoices
This is the section where Romania gives the carrier a real, additional saving that does not exist in Serbia. Romania is in the EU, so VAT on fuel can be reclaimed, and the fuel card provides the document ideal for this procedure.
VAT rate and excise in Romania in 2026
The basic VAT rate in Romania (locally TVA) is currently 21%. This is a fresh change and a frequent mistake in calculations: the rate was raised from 19% to 21% on 1 August 2025. This means that for refuelings carried out from that date you reclaim 21%, not 19%, which at large volumes makes a tangible difference.
- VAT (TVA) 21%: included in the price on the pylon, in force from 1 Aug 2025 (previously 19%).
- Excise on diesel: contained in the price per litre, set at national level in RON.
- Key advantage over Serbia: Romania is in the EU, so the EU VAT refund procedure for taxpayers from other member states applies.
How to reclaim VAT on fuel filled in Romania?
A Polish company reclaims Romanian VAT on fuel through the EU VAT-REFUND procedure. The application is submitted electronically via the Polish tax office (the VAT-REFUND portal), which forwards it to the Romanian tax administration ANAF. There is no need to register as a VAT taxpayer in Romania or to travel there in person.
The application for a given calendar year is filed by 30 September of the following year. The basis is invoices documenting the purchase of fuel, and the consolidated fuel card invoice, broken down by dates, stations, litres and VAT amounts, is a virtually model document here, because it replaces dozens of individual receipts.
Consolidated fuel card invoices and the VAT refund procedure
The biggest practical problem with a VAT refund is collecting and organizing the documents. A driver fueling in cash brings back a pile of receipts, some of which fade, get lost or fail to meet the formal invoice requirements. The fuel card solves this at the source.
Instead of dozens of receipts you get one consolidated invoice for the billing period, issued in line with Romanian requirements, with a full breakdown of transactions. It is one document for the VAT-REFUND application, instead of the tedious compiling of receipts, which shortens the accounting work and reduces the risk of the application being rejected by ANAF due to formal gaps.
What the settlement requires (documents, deadlines)
Below is a summary of what an effective Romanian VAT refund on fuel requires.
| Element | Requirement for a VAT refund in Romania |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | The EU VAT-REFUND procedure (refund for taxpayers from other EU states) |
| Submission channel | Electronically via the Polish tax office to ANAF |
| Document | Consolidated fuel card invoice (dates, stations, litres, VAT amounts at 21%) |
| Application deadline | By 30 September of the year following the year of purchase |
| Rate to reclaim | 21% for refuelings from 1 Aug 2025 (previously 19%) |
| Entity status | An EU company not registered as a VAT taxpayer in Romania |
OMV card vs Orlen, E100, DKV, Shell, BP, UTA, Circle K, Moya for transit through Romania
The fuel card market is dense, but in Romania the winner is the one who has an own network here. And that is above all OMV, through OMV Petrom. Below we assess the cards from one narrow angle: fueling in Romania in transit, with a discount, without unnecessary fees and with reach across the rest of the corridor.
Comparison criteria (network in RO, discount, fees, service, regional reach)
For the carrier, five things matter at once:
- Network in Romania along the A1, A2, A3 and DN: whether you fuel along the way or add kilometres on the long stretches.
- Discount against the retail price: whether the card gives a real reduction or just cashless convenience.
- Fees: subscription, card fee, transaction commission, RON currency spread.
- Service: language, a single account manager, speed of response when a card is blocked on the route.
- Regional reach: whether one card will also serve CZ, SK, HU, SI, RS, that is the whole corridor from Poland through Hungary to Romania.
Comparison table of fuel cards for refueling in Romania
| Card | Network in Romania | Model | Regional reach (CEE/Balkans) | Note for RO transit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| orlen fuel card (Orlen for companies, Orlen Flota, type S) | No own network, partner acceptance only | Concern card, volume discounts (what it offers: discount + settlement) | Strong in PL, weaker beyond the borderland | Excellent in Poland, in Romania no own stations |
| e100 fuel card | Partner acceptance, dependent on contracts | Intermediary card | Wide reach, uneven in RO | Possible service commissions and RON currency spread (e100 reviews on costs are mixed) |
| dkv fuel card (DKV Mobility) | EETS + fuel acceptance, part of the stations in RO | Intermediary card | Very wide European reach | Convenient, but a model with service fees (dkv fees and costs can be noticeable) |
| shell fuel card | Single stations + ROUTEX | Concern card | Wide reach, ROUTEX network | Rarer own network in RO than OMV Petrom |
| bp fuel card (BP Plus, Routex) | Single stations + ROUTEX | Concern card | Wide reach through ROUTEX | Network rarer than OMV Petrom in the region |
| uta fuel card (UTA Edenred) | Partner acceptance | Intermediary card | Very wide reach | Flexible, fees depend on the contract |
| circle k fuel card | No own network in RO | Concern card | Good reach in Western Europe and Scandinavia | Not useful for the Romanian stretch itself |
| moya fuel card (Moya Firma) | No network in RO | Concern card | Limited beyond PL | Excellent in Poland, no coverage on the Romanian route |
| OMV card (ONYX) | Largest network in RO: OMV Petrom on the A1/A2/A3 + ROUTEX | No subscription, volume discount | CZ, SK, HU, SI, RS, RO + ROUTEX | Refueling along the way on the whole route, VAT refund, service in Polish, a single settlement |
Why one OMV card beats juggling several cards
In Romania the problem of many cards is especially acute, because the long DN stretches require certainty that the nearest station accepts your card. Juggling several cards means several invoices, several currency spreads on lei and no single point of contact when a card gets blocked at a station in Deva or near Sibiu.
One OMV card simplifies this to one document and one partner for the whole corridor from Poland through Hungary into Romania and beyond. You get the largest national network, OMV Petrom, not partner acceptance dependent on individual contracts, service in Polish and one consolidated invoice ready for a VAT refund. We laid out the mechanics of the discounts and the reach in the mega-guide on OMV fuel cards.
How the OMV fuel card works in practice (payment, term, no fees)
The price per litre alone is not everything. The profitability of a route through Romania is also decided by when you pay and how much you add in fees.
Deferred payment term of up to about 30 days (like a credit card with no interest)
For fuel bought within the billing period you pay with a single consolidated invoice with a term of up to 30 days. You fuel today in Romania, and cash leaves the company after a month. For a route where the freight payment is sometimes deferred by 45 or 60 days, this is a real easing of the liquidity gap.
It works like trade credit: with payment on time you pay no interest and no deferral commission. The working capital stays in the company and works towards the next run, instead of being frozen at Romanian stations, where refuelings are large because of the long DN stretches.
No subscription and no hidden fees
In the ONYX offer the OMV card has no subscription or monthly fees, and issuing the card is free as standard (with very small contracts a one-off fee of up to 50 PLN may appear). There is no transaction commission per litre and no fee for access to the fleet management portal.
This is an important difference from some intermediary cards (E100, DKV, UTA), where the cost model can include a service fee or commission that eats into the negotiated discount, all the more noticeable when converting from the leu.
One card, many countries: CZ, SK, HU, SI, RS, RO + the ROUTEX network
One OMV card serves the whole corridor from Poland to the south-east of Europe at card prices across the OMV, Avanti and Petrom network:
- Czech Republic (CZ): the core of the route from Poland to the west and south of the continent.
- Slovakia (SK): the natural extension of the D1 through Bratislava.
- Hungary (HU): the direction of Budapest and on to the Nădlac II border with Romania.
- Slovenia (SI): the corridor to the Adriatic and to Italy.
- Serbia (RS): the Balkan route to Greece, Turkey and the Middle East.
- Romania (RO): the OMV Petrom network, towards the port of Constanța and the east of Europe.
Beyond these countries the ROUTEX network adds more than 20,000 locations of partner brands in dozens of European countries, so the card also serves long routes to and from Poland, regardless of direction.
How to order an OMV card through ONYX: a step-by-step procedure
The process is simple, conducted in Polish and suited both to a single truck-trailer running occasionally to Constanța and to a fleet regularly serving the A1 corridor.
How to order an OMV fuel card for a transport company?
In short: you submit an application with the company’s data, pass a creditworthiness check, declare your estimated annual mileage or refueling volume on routes through Romania, sign the contract and collect the cards within a few business days.
Company creditworthiness check + km declaration
Because the card means a deferred payment term (that is an actual trade limit), the issuer checks the company’s creditworthiness. This is a standard procedure that protects both sides and allows the transaction limit on the card to be set, appropriate to the scale of the fleet.
In parallel you declare the estimated annual mileage or refueling volume on routes through Romania. This figure serves to match the volume discount level: the higher the real volume, the higher the reduction per litre. There is no minimum entry threshold and no limit on the number of cards.
ONYX as an official OMV agent (service in Polish, ongoing care)
ONYX is an official OMV agent, which means two things. First, you get the settlement and contract in Polish, without the language barrier typical of some intermediaries. Second, you have a dedicated account manager who configures the limits, matches the discounts and reacts when a card is blocked or replaced, even if the combination happens to be standing at a station near Sibiu or in Deva.
For small and large fleets (even a few dozen groszy per litre makes a difference)
The OMV card requires no minimum volume, so it works for a company with a single truck-trailer running occasionally to Constanța and for a large fleet regularly serving the A1 corridor. On a Romanian stretch exceeding 700 km, a difference of several dozen groszy per litre, multiplied by over 230 litres of fuel burned, translates into a real sum on a single run, and over a year into thousands of złoty per vehicle, on top of which comes the reclaimed 21% VAT.
Related costs on the route through Romania: tolls (rovinieta / TollRO)
Fuel is one leg of the cost on the Romanian stretch, the other is the toll. Romania is going through a transformation of its toll collection system in 2026: from a vignette model (Rovinieta, an electronic vignette for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes) towards a distance-based TollRO system, dependent on distance, vehicle class and emissions.
For the fleet this means one practical recommendation: separate the fuel invoice from the toll invoice. Thanks to this, accounting keeps a clear split between the road cost and the fuel cost, which eases both the margin calculation and the VAT refund on the fuel itself. We described the full rates, transition phases and calculation rules in the guide road tolls in Romania 2026 (rovinieta, TollRO), and you will find the broader context of road costs in Europe on the page road tolls in Europe.
Summary
On transit through Romania the margin is decided not only by the discount on fuel, but also by correctly counting the VAT and tolls and by the refueling plan on the long DN stretches. Key takeaways:
- Diesel in Romania is roughly 6.2 to 6.7 PLN/l (7.0 to 7.6 RON), at a rate close to 0.88 PLN per 1 RON.
- OMV Petrom stations (the largest network in the country) sit on the A1, A2 and A3 and the long DN roads, so the driver fuels without leaving the route.
- Romania offers a VAT refund on fuel through the VAT-REFUND procedure via ANAF, and the rate is 21% (raised from 19% on 1 Aug 2025), with the application deadline by 30 September of the following year.
- On the long DN stretches without a motorway plan refueling with a reserve at the Sibiu, Deva, Ploiești and Brașov junctions.
- One OMV card serves CZ, SK, HU, SI, RS, RO + ROUTEX, with a payment term up to 30 days and no subscription.
- Instead of juggling the Orlen, E100, DKV, Shell, BP, UTA, Circle K and Moya cards you get one solution with service in Polish, because ONYX is an official OMV agent.
Want to calculate how much your route through Romania really costs, including fuel, VAT and tolls? See the offer of fuel cards for companies and contact the ONYX experts, and we will match the discount, limits and card configuration to your fleet running on the A1 and to the port of Constanța.
Bibliography / Legal sources
| Source | Description | URL |
|---|---|---|
| OMV | Official OMV fleet card offer, network and benefits | omv.com/portfolio/cards |
| OMV Petrom | The largest network of fuel stations in Romania (OMV group) | omvpetrom.com |
| CNAIR / TollRO | The official road toll system in Romania (rovinieta, TollRO) | roviniete.ro |
| ANAF | The Romanian tax administration (VAT/TVA, 21% rate) | anaf.ro |
| European Commission | The EU VAT refund procedure (VAT-REFUND) for EU taxpayers | taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu |
| ONYX | OMV fuel cards in the ONYX offer (official OMV agent) | onyxtms.com/en/fuel-cards |
