Many S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) investors on the hunt for passive income in 2025 were attracted to the likes of Santos Ltd (ASX: STO), Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT), and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) shares.
And for good reason.
All three ASX 200 energy stocks offer market-beating dividend yields. And both BHP and Beach Energy paid out fully franked dividends in 2025. Meaning investors may be able to hold onto more of that passive income when the ATO comes knocking.
But which stock offered the best payouts? Santos, Beach Energy, or Woodside?
Let's drill in.
Tapping into Beach Energy, Santos, and Woodside shares for passive income
Kicking off with Woodside, the ASX 200 energy stock paid a final fully franked dividend of 84.9 cents per share on 2 April. Eligible stockholders will then have received the interim Woodside dividend of 81.8 cents per share on 24 September.
That equates to a full 2025 calendar year passive income payout of $1.667 per share.
Woodside shares closed on Friday changing hands for $23.59 apiece. This sees Woodside shares trading on a fully-franked trailing dividend yield of 7.1%.
Moving on to Santos shares, the oil and gas company paid its final unfranked dividend of 16.3 cents per share on 26 March. Santos paid out its interim dividend of 20.3 cents per share, franked at 10%, on 1 October.
This works out to a full year, dividend payout of 36.6 cents per share.
At Friday's closing price of $6.15, Santos shares trade on a partly franked trailing dividend yield of 6%.
Which brings us to the passive income on tap from Beach Energy shares in 2025.
If you owned Beach Energy stock throughout 2025, you'd have received the company's fully-franked interim dividend of 3 cents per share on 31 March. Beach Energy then paid an all-time high final dividend of 6 cents per share on 30 September.
That totals 9 cents per share in dividend payouts in 2025.
At Friday's closing price of $1.10 a share, this sees Beach Energy trading on a fully-franked trailing dividend yield of 8.2%.
Which ASX 200 energy shares paid the most passive income in 2025?
On a per-share basis, the $1.667 in passive income delivered by Woodside in 2025 is the clear leader.
But Woodside shares are also by far the most expensive.
The award for best dividend yield goes to Beach Energy, at 8.2%, fully franked.
How have these ASX 200 energy shares been tracking?
Over the 12 months through to market close on Friday, the ASX 200 has gained 4.67%.
Not including the passive income they've paid out, here's how these three ASX 200 energy stocks have performed over this same period:
- Santos shares are down 12%
- Woodside shares are down 7%
- Beach Energy shares are down 23%
