Where to find the cheapest petrol
Independent petrol retail chains Speedway, Metro Petroleum, United, Vibe and FuelXpress had the cheapest petrol in Australia’s eight capital cities in 2020, a new ACCC petrol industry report reveals.
The report shows the average range between the highest and lowest-priced major petrol retailer across the five largest capital cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide) increased to 11.4 cents per litre (cpl) in 2020, from 8.4 cpl in 2019.
The ACCC’s analysis shows that motorists in Australia’s five largest cities could have saved a combined total of nearly half a billion dollars ($485 million) in 2020 by switching from a variety of higher-priced to lower-priced major retailers.
“The range of petrol prices available to most Australian motorists means the potential savings from filling up at one of the cheaper retailers are very significant,” ACCC Chair Rod Sims said.
“We often hear that all petrol prices are the same but this report shows that people living in capital cities do have choice about where they get their fuel, and how much they pay for it.
“Consumers should bear in mind that regular unleaded petrol sold in Australia typically comes from the same refineries or import terminals, and there are minimum quality standards that all retailers are required to adhere to. This means that motorists are getting petrol of a similar quality regardless of where they fill up,” Mr Sims said.
The report compares different major retailers’ annual average petrol prices in 2020 with the market average price, and reveals the savings that an average motorist could have made by switching from the highest to lowest-priced major retailer in each of Australia’s capital cities.
We regularly buy our petrol from the local Metro Petroleum service station because it is always the cheapest. Do you try and buy your petrol from an independent chain? Did you realise you could save a lot of money this way?
Keep the fuel tank as full as possible, not less than half empty at any time, keep observing price changes when nearing half empty and buy the fuel on a lower price period.
It is false economy to fill a near empty fuel tank when prices are high, also to put in a few litres while waiting for a price-drop, and this could create dilemma when parking at home with a near empty fuel tank if an emergency arises, and a rushed trip to a distant destination, hospital etc; is needed, especially in the middle of the night.