We’ve been having it extremely good at the bowser as of late. Regular unleaded petrol, at least in some states around Australia, is now sitting at under a dollar a litre. That’s before discounts, too! According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, automotive fuel costs fell by 6.8% in the last quarter. With all honeymoons, they eventually end. Then it’s back to the yo-yo swing of “the fuel cycle,” which means petrol prices rise or fall on certain days compared to others.
So you may wonder; how can you find the cheapest petrol near you? We’ve put together the best resources to help you do just that.
MotorMouth.com.au
MotorMouth.com.au is Australia’s leading website for tracking petrol prices in every state and territory in Australia. You can search for the lowest price in your area and register to get alerts about discounted fuel offers. It’s considered Australia’s leading authority on petrol prices. They now offer a smartphone app to help you on the go. It’s available for iPhone and Android.
Compare the Market
Compare the Market has advertised itself on finding the lowest rates on insurance, but it also has a powerful search tool for petrol prices. You just enter your postcode for all your nearest petrol stations and the prices for each individual fuel type. The website also states they update their prices three times a day to maintain the best accuracy.
Look to Singapore
Looking to Singapore to see how much petrol costs in Australia doesn’t make much sense. But the opposite is true. The Australian Institute of Petroleum (AIP) says when Singaporean petrol prices rise or fall, Australian petrol prices will more or less match that fluctuation after one or two weeks. If you’re careful about planning trips, it may be worth a look at the Global Petrol Prices index every so often.
Read the Weekly Petrol Prices Report
The AIP releases a petrol prices report each week that discusses in thorough detail all the trends and changes in petrol prices over the last week. It includes market data, retail prices, analysis and in-depth looks at the global market. Much like looking at Singapore, you may want to see how and when the retail discount cycle works as it’s all detailed in graphs and charts. It’s released every Monday.
FuelWatch (WA Only)
Western Australia has a government-run fuel price website that gives you tomorrow’s fuel prices by 2:30pm each day. A website called WA Fuel Finder uses that data and overlays it on maps to help you find the cheapest petrol station. It also has an app for iOS.