Petrol price cycles affect the price of petrol
How petrol price cycles work
Petrol prices move up and down in regular patterns in Australia's largest capital cities. Petrol prices steadily decrease for a period followed by a sharper increase.
This pattern is also known as a petrol price cycle. It is a movement in the retail price from a low point (or trough) to a high point (or peak) to the following low point. Petrol price cycles do not occur in Canberra, Hobart and Darwin.
Petrol price cycles are the result of pricing policies of petrol retailers and not from changes in the wholesale cost of fuel.
The buying tips below are for regular unleaded petrol prices in Australia's 5 largest cities that have petrol price cycles. The buying tips are also applicable to premium unleaded 95, premium unleaded 98 and E10, as prices of all grades of petrol tend to move in a similar way.
Retail diesel prices do not move in cycles.
How long price cycles last
The duration of each petrol price cycle varies from cycle to cycle and by location.
The length of price cycles in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth has varied between city and over time.
In 2023 the average duration of price cycles was around 6 weeks in Sydney and Melbourne, around 7 weeks in Brisbane, and around 2 weeks in Adelaide. Perth currently has regular weekly price cycles.
Petrol buying tips and charts
You can use petrol price cycles to help you decide when to buy petrol in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. We provide buying tips for each major city.
We update:
- buying tips on weekdays (at least Monday, Wednesday and Friday) around midday
- historical data on price cycles as necessary.
You should use this information as a guide only. The duration of each petrol price cycle varies from cycle to cycle and by location. Historical data can only indicate or suggest the cheapest and most expensive days to buy petrol in the future.
Buying tip (updated on Wednesday):
- prices are decreasing and may decrease further
- motorists looking to buy petrol can shop around for the lowest prices.
This chart shows daily average regular unleaded petrol prices in Sydney over the past 45 days.
Source: Informed Sources.
Information on the past 5 price cycles in Sydney is shown in this table:
First day of cycle (low price) |
No. of days to highest price in the cycle |
Date of highest price in the cycle |
Days to next cycle (next low price) |
Total days in cycle |
Tue 20 Feb 24 |
14 |
Tue 05 Mar 24 |
24 |
38 |
Fri 29 Mar 24 |
17 |
Mon 15 Apr 24 |
41 |
58 |
Sun 26 May 24 |
17 |
Wed 12 Jun 24 |
24 |
41 |
Sat 06 Jul 24 |
16 |
Mon 22 Jul 24 |
27 |
43 |
Sun 18 Aug |
10 |
Wed 28 Aug 24 |
25 |
35 |
Source: ACCC calculations based on data from Informed Sources.
Buying tip (updated on Wednesday):
- prices are decreasing and may decrease further
- motorists looking to buy petrol can shop around for the lowest prices.
This chart shows daily average regular unleaded petrol prices in Melbourne over the past 45 days.
Source: Informed Sources.
Information on the past 5 price cycles in Melbourne is shown in this table:
First day of cycle (low price) |
No. of days to highest price in the cycle |
Date of highest price in the cycle |
Days to next cycle (next low price) |
Total days in cycle |
Mon 04 Mar 24 |
15 |
Tue 19 Mar 24 |
22 |
37 |
Wed 10 Apr 24 |
15 |
Thu 25 Apr 24 |
35 |
50 |
Thu 30 May 24 |
13 |
Wed 12 Jun 24 |
27 |
40 |
Tue 09 Jul 24 |
20 |
Mon 29 Jul 24 |
28 |
48 |
Mon 26 Aug 24 |
22 |
Tue 17 Sep 24 |
23 |
45 |
Source: ACCC calculations based on data from Informed Sources.
Buying tip (updated on Wednesday):
- prices are decreasing and may decrease further
- motorists looking to buy petrol can shop around for the lowest prices.
This chart shows daily average regular unleaded petrol prices in Brisbane over the past 45 days.
Source: Informed Sources.
Information on the past 5 price cycles in Brisbane is shown in this table:
First day of cycle (low price) |
No. of days to highest price in the cycle |
Date of highest price in the cycle |
Days to next cycle (next low price) |
Total days in cycle |
Sun 25 Feb 24 |
16 |
Tue 12 Mar 24 |
27 |
43 |
Mon 08 Apr 24 |
15 |
Tue 23 Apr 24 |
41 |
56 |
Mon 03 Jun 24 |
13 |
Sun 16 Jun 24 |
23 |
36 |
Tue 09 Jul 24 |
19 |
Sun 28 Jul 24 |
21 |
40 |
Sun 18 Aug 24 |
13 |
Sat 31 Aug 24 |
22 |
35 |
Source: ACCC calculations based on data from Informed Sources.
Buying tip (updated on Wednesday):
- prices appear to be around the lowest point of the cycle
- now is a good time for motorists to buy petrol.
This chart shows daily average regular unleaded petrol prices in Adelaide over the past 45 days.
Source: Informed Sources.
Information on the past 5 price cycles in Adelaide is shown in this table:
First day of the cycle (low price) |
No. of days to highest price in the cycle |
Date of highest price in the cycle |
Days to next cycle (next low price) |
Total days in cycle |
Sun 28 Jul 24 |
5 |
Fri 02 Aug 24 |
10 |
15 |
Mon 12 Aug 24 |
5 |
Sat 17 Aug 24 |
11 |
16 |
Wed 28 Aug 24 |
5 |
Mon 02 Sep 24 |
7 |
12 |
Mon 09 Sep 24 |
6 |
Sun 15 Sep 24 |
11 |
17 |
Thu 26 Sep 24 |
9 |
Sat 05 Oct 24 |
9 |
18 |
Source: ACCC calculations based on data from Informed Sources.
Buying tip (updated on Wednesday):
- while the price cycle is around a high point, we encourage motorists to use fuel price apps and websites to find lower priced retailers.
This chart shows daily average regular unleaded petrol prices in Perth over the past 45 days.
Source: Informed Sources.
Information on the past 5 price cycles in Perth is shown in this table:
First day of cycle (low price)
|
No. of days to highest price in the cycle
|
Date of highest price in the cycle
|
Days to next cycle (next low price)
|
Total days in cycle
|
Tue 10 Sep 24 |
1 |
Wed 11 Sep 24 |
6 |
7 |
Tue 17 Sep 24 |
1 |
Wed 18 Sep 24 |
6 |
7 |
Tue 24 Sep 24 |
1 |
Wed 25 Sep 24 |
6 |
7 |
Tue 01 Oct 24 |
1 |
Wed 02 Oct 24 |
6 |
7 |
Tue 08 Oct 24 |
1 |
Wed 09 Oct 24 |
6 |
7 |
Source: ACCC calculations based on data from Informed Sources.
Monitoring fuel prices following the excise cut and restoration
The ACCC closely monitored fuel prices following the Federal Budget reduction in fuel excise from 30 March to 28 September 2022. Results of our monitoring were described in the March 2022, June 2022 and September 2022 quarterly petrol reports.