Refuelling in any European country is usually a straightforward task, but in South America every stop at a petrol station can be a unique adventure. On this continent, prices vary widely, availability is an issue and regulations for foreigners can complicate the process.
High prices but available fuel
In Brazil, for example, diesel is of good quality and readily available on main roads, although in remote areas it can be difficult to find a petrol station for hundreds of kilometres. The prices are also higher, but you can read more about it in our statistics.
Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile were similar to Brazil. Argentina and Bolivia, however, present a different set of challenges.
First shortages, then rising prices
Argentina has changed a lot. The country experienced fuel shortages in October 2023, with long queues at petrol stations and a limited supply of fuel. In remote areas with long distances, such as Patagonia, it was important to fill up whenever possible.
At the time, prices were relatively low in dollar terms ($0.53/l). So even though we had to wait, we filled up as often and as much as we could.
The situation changed after Milei’s election and the adjustment of the official dollar to the blue dollar, which resulted in a price increase (almost $1.04/l) due to the inflation of not only the Argentinean peso but also the dollar. Despite this and still some queues, availability was better.
Special price for foreigners
Bolivia, on the other hand, is a special case. The country is heavily subsidised, and the fuel subsidy has been in place for 19 years. There was a small price adjustment the year after the fixed price was introduced. Evo Morales then tried to readjust the price in 2010, but faced huge protests that forced him to freeze the measure. The subsidy costs the Bolivian state $1.4 billion dollars a year.
Due to the popular refusal to raise prices, governments are trying to reduce costs by changing the energy matrix, i.e. introducing natural gas or biofuels. A shortage of dollars makes it even harder to buy fuel to supply the country, so there are often queues at petrol stations.
Bolivians buy fuel for about $0.54/l, while foreigners pay the standard price of about $1.27/l. In theory. In practice, refuelling is a matter of luck.
In search of petrol stations
In Bolivia, they have to enter your number plate into the system to fill up, but not all stations (even if they want to help you) can enter foreign plates. Then there are cameras (who knows if they work) to prevent “theft”. So sometimes you find you can’t fill up and have to find another station. Our friends (petrol car) had to go to 11 – eleven – petrol stations before they found one that would fill up.
Now, to make life easier (and cheaper), you would ask to refuel “without a bill” and agree on a price (varies between $0.70 and $1/l). The attendant then enters the number plate of another car with similar characteristics, especially one that uses the same type of fuel (petrol or diesel, as this is fixed in the system) and a tank of similar dimensions. Obviously, they keep the difference between the official price and the agreed price. Corruption? Well…
The importance of a large tank
In our case we have a 270 litre tank. This has made our journey easier. What’s more, in the three months we’ve been in Bolivia, we’ve always managed to fill up at the local price and leave a tip. We only managed to do this because we had the luxury of being able to ask at what price they were selling us diesel and leave if it was too expensive. It would have been different if we had had no choice but to take what we could get.
It is true that we are foreigners and can afford to pay the international price, besides we do not pay taxes in the country that would entitle us to benefit from the subsidy. But what you pay doesn’t necessarily reach the state. Hardly anyone we know has received a bill, even if they paid the international price and asked for it (we’re not sure, but the money probably ends up in someone’s pocket and not where it should).
Then there is the quality of the fuel. Our friends’ car stopped working, he is a mechanic and when he fixed it he found bits of metal and solid particles in the gasoline filter, of who knows what coming from the fuel. Better to have a car with a not too delicate engine.
We have definitely learnt that in South America something as simple as refuelling can become an adventure or an endless wait. We’re still going to visit some of the other countries in South America, so there’ll be more information at some point.