Petrol prices move up and down in regular patterns or cycles. The cheapest and most expensive days to buy petrol can change from cycle to cycle. Use price cycles to help you decide when to buy petrol.
Petrol price cycles in capital cities
A petrol price cycle is a movement in retail price from a low point (or trough) to a high point (or peak) to a subsequent low point. In these cycles, prices steadily go down for a period followed by a sharp increase.
Price cycles are the result of deliberate pricing policies of petrol retailers, and are not directly related to changes in wholesale costs.
The duration of petrol price cycles in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide varies from cycle to cycle, and has increased in recent years. In 2015 to date, price cycle durations in these cities have ranged from a low of 13 days to a high of 67 days. The petrol price cycle duration in Perth is generally seven days.
Disclaimer
Historical data can only give an indication of the cheapest and most expensive days to buy petrol in the future, so consumers should use this information as a general guide only.
The charts are updated daily from Monday to Friday at around midday, and show average daily prices for the last 45 days. Updates on Mondays include prices for the preceding Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Buying tips are usually updated around midday on Monday, Wednesday and Friday
The buying tips may not always seem apparent from the charts. This is because the charts show historical prices.
The charts show average daily regular unleaded petrol for all cities except Sydney, which shows E10 prices.
Petrol prices in Sydney
Buying tip (updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday):
- prices are decreasing but they are likely to decrease further
- if possible, motorists should delay buying petrol until later.
The chart below shows daily average E10 petrol prices in Sydney over the past 45 days.
Source: FUELtrac
Information on the past five price cycles in Sydney is shown below:
| 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 16 May 16 | 5 | Sat 21 May 16 | 16 | 21 |
| Mon 06 June 16 | 7 | Mon 13 Jun 16 | 28 | 35 |
| Mon 11 June 16 | 6 | Sun 17 Jul 16 | 30 | 36 |
| Mon 15 Aug 16 | 7 | Mon 22 Aug 16 | 15 | 22 |
| Tue 06 Sep 16 | 4 | Sat 10 Sep 16 | 11 | 15 |
Petrol prices in Melbourne
Buying tip (updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday):
- prices are increasing
-
If motorists shop around they may find some retailers that have not yet increased prices.
The chart below shows daily average regular unleaded petrol prices in Melbourne over the past 45 days.
Source: FUELtrac
Information on the past five price cycles in Melbourne is shown below:
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 30 Mar 16 | 4 |
Sun 03 Apr 16 |
31 | 35 |
| Mon 04 May 16 | 5 |
Mon 09 May 16 |
21 | 26 |
| Mon 30 May 16 | 4 |
Fri 03 Jun 16 |
46 | 50 |
| Tue 19 Jul 16 | 5 | Sun 24 Jul 16 | 35 | 40 |
| Sun 28 Aug 16 | 3 | Wed 31 Aug 16 | 27 | 30 |
Petrol prices in Brisbane
Buying tip (updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday):
- prices appear to be around the lowest point of the price cycle
- now is a good time for motorists to buy petrol.
The chart below shows daily average regular unleaded petrol prices in Brisbane over the past 45 days.
Source: FUELtrac
Information on the past five price cycles in Brisbane is shown below:
| 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 01 Mar 16 | 5 | Sun 06 Mar 16 | 30 | 35 |
| Tue 05 Apr 16 | 5 | Sun 10 Apr 16 | 24 | 29 |
| Wed 04 May 16 | 5 | Mon 09 May 16 | 20 | 25 |
| Sun 29 May 16 | 6 | Sat 04 Jun 16 | 45 | 51 |
| Tue 19 Jul 16 | 6 | Mon 25 Jul 16 | 36 | 41 |
Petrol prices in Adelaide
Buying tip (updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday):
-
prices are decreasing but they are likely to decrease further
-
if possible, motorists should delay buying petrol until later.
The chart below shows daily average regular unleaded petrol prices in Adelaide over the past 45 days.
Source: FUELtrac
Information on the past five price cycles in Adelaide is shown below:
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 04 May 16 | 6 | Tue 10 May 16 | 13 | 19 |
| Mon 23 May 16 | 3 | Thu 26 May 16 | 15 | 18 |
| Fri 10 Jun 16 | 3 | Mon 13 Jun 16 | 16 | 19 |
| Wed 29 Jun 16 | 5 | Mon 04 Jul 16 | 35 | 40 |
| Mon 08 Aug 16 | 4 | Fri 12 Aug 16 | 32 | 36 |
Petrol prices in Perth
Buying tip
Perth currently has regular weekly petrol price cycles, with prices generally peaking on Tuesday and then decreasing to a low on Monday.
The chart below shows average daily regular unleaded petrol prices in Perth over the past 45 days.
Source: FUELtrac
Information on the past five price cycles in Perth is shown below:
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 22 Aug 16 | 1 | Tue 23 Aug 16 | 6 | 7 |
| Mon 29 Aug 16 | 1 | Tue 30 Aug 16 | 6 | 7 |
| Mon 05 Sep 16 | 1 | Tue 06 Sep 16 | 6 | 7 |
| Mon 12 Sep 16 | 1 | Tue 13 Sep 16 | 6 | 7 |
| Mon 19 Sep 16 | 1 | Tue 20 Sep 16 | 6 | 7 |
More information
Petrol, diesel and LPG
Monitoring of the Australian petroleum industry - reports