Fuel in Türkiye: prices, octane, payment and the LPG trap

Fuel is easy to find in most of Türkiye, and someone usually fills the tank for you. Petrol is not cheap, though, and prices move often. The one real mistake to avoid is the otogaz pump: it sells LPG, not petrol, and it is the cheapest number on the board.

What petrol costs

Prices are set by distributors and change every few days, often overnight. On 1 November 2026 petrol rose by 4.10 TL a litre and diesel by 3.60 TL. These were the approximate pump prices on 2 November 2026:

Prices are per litre. A week earlier, on 25 October 2026, petrol in Istanbul was about 76 TL, so budget for change during a long trip. Note that in late 2026 diesel costs more than petrol.

Prices also vary by brand, province and station. Stations on motorways tend to charge more than those in towns and on secondary roads. Every station shows its prices on a large board you can read from the road. Since the end of 2025, the energy regulator EPDK has required all price boards at one station to show the same prices.

Octane: which grade to ask for

The standard grade is 95-octane unleaded, and it is what most Turkish cars use. It will suit most motorcycles. Some stations also sell a higher-octane grade, 97 or 98, aimed at high-performance engines. Check your owner's manual before paying extra.

The big brands also sell their own premium versions with extra additives. Opet sells Ultra Force 95-octane unleaded, and Shell sells V-Power Kurşunsuz. All brands buy their refined fuel from the same refiner, Tüpraş, and differ mainly in what they add to it.

Reading the pump

Pumps and price boards are labelled in Turkish. Learn these words:

• Benzin: petrol (gasoline).
• Kurşunsuz: unleaded. Petrol is usually shown as "Kurşunsuz Benzin 95".
• Motorin: diesel. You may also hear mazot or see dizel.
• Otogaz or LPG: autogas. Not for your bike.
• Dolu depo: full tank.

The LPG trap

Türkiye is one of the biggest autogas markets in the world. Many cars run on LPG to save money, so many stations have an otogaz pump. On the price board it sits next to petrol at roughly half the price, around 41 TL against 80 TL in November 2026. That makes it easy to misread.

Otogaz is liquefied petroleum gas. It is not a cheap grade of petrol, and a petrol motorcycle cannot use it. Never point at the cheapest number on the board. Say "benzin, doksan beş" (petrol, ninety-five) and watch which nozzle the attendant picks up. Diesel is just as wrong for a petrol bike, so check that the nozzle does not say motorin.

Attendants do the filling

At most stations an attendant fills the tank for you. Self-service pumps exist but are uncommon, and automated ones can have confusing menus.

Attendants often offer extras such as cleaning a windscreen or checking tyre pressure. A small tip of a few lira for help is welcome but optional.

Paying

You pay either the attendant at the pump or the cashier inside. If you pay inside, the cashier may give you two receipts. Hand one to the attendant before you ride off, to show you have paid.

Credit and debit cards are widely accepted, so know your PIN. Carry some Turkish lira as a backup in case a terminal rejects a foreign card. Not every station accepts foreign currency.

The main brands

Türkiye has more than 13,000 fuel stations. The biggest networks are:

• Petrol Ofisi (PO): more than 1,800 stations.
• Opet: around 1,675 stations.
• Shell: about 1,000 stations.
• BP and TotalEnergies: smaller networks.

Where stations get scarce

Along the coasts and main highways you rarely ride far without a station. Mountain roads are different. Stations there are sparse, and the climbing raises fuel use. Fill up before a mountain pass or a high plateau, not at the last moment.

This matters on the climbs inland from the Lycian coast and on the side roads up into the mountains from the Black Sea coast. Further east, carry cash as well as cards. If your bike has a small tank, a spare fuel bottle is sensible.

For the paperwork you need before you reach the first pump, see our checklist for riding into Türkiye.

Quick checklist

• Ask for "benzin, doksan beş" (95-octane unleaded) unless your manual says otherwise
• Never fill from the otogaz/LPG pump, and never from motorin (diesel)
• Watch which nozzle the attendant uses
• Card with PIN, plus Turkish lira as a backup
• Keep the receipt if you paid inside, and hand the copy to the attendant
• Fill up before mountain roads and long stretches in the east
• Expect prices around 80 TL a litre for petrol (November 2026), and expect them to change