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 2017 to date, price cycle durations in these cities have ranged from a low of 11 days to a high of 61 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 appear to be around the lowest point of the cycle
- now is a good time for motorists to buy petrol.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 05 Apr 17 | 6 | Tue 11 Apr 17 | 20 | 26 |
| Mon 01 May 17 | 8 | Tue 09 May 17 | 16 | 24 |
| Thu 25 May 17 | 10 | Sun 04 Jun 17 | 30 | 40 |
| Tue 04 Jul 17 | 7 | Tue 11 Jul 17 | 23 | 30 |
| Thu 03 Aug 17 | 7 | Thu 10 Aug 17 | 21 | 28 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 07 Jan 17 | 10 |
Tue 17 Jan 17 |
51 | 61 |
| Thu 09 Mar 17 | 4 |
Mon 20 Mar 17 |
36 | 40 |
| Tue 18 Apr 17 | 5 | Sun 23 Apr 17 | 32 | 37 |
| Thu 25 May 17 | 3 | Sun 28 May 17 | 39 | 42 |
| Thu 06 Jul 17 | 5 |
Tue 11 Jul 17 |
30 | 35 |
Petrol prices in Brisbane
Buying tip (updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday):
- prices appear to be around the lowest point of the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 18 Jan 17 | 6 |
Tue 24 Jan 17 |
46 |
52 |
|
Sat 11 Mar 17 |
6 |
Fri 17 Mar 17 |
39 |
45 |
|
Tue 25 Apr 17 |
8 |
Wed 03 May 17 |
33 |
41 |
|
Mon 05 Jun 17 |
5 |
Sat 10 Jun 17 |
36 |
41 |
|
Sun 16 Jul 17 |
4 |
Thu 20 Jul 17 |
27 |
31 |
Petrol prices in Adelaide
Buying tip (updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday):
- prices appear to be around the highest point of the price cycle
- if possible, motorists should avoid buying at this time.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sun 14 May 17 |
7 |
Sun 21 May 17 |
4 |
11 |
|
Thu 25 May 17 |
3 |
Sun 28 May 17 |
30 |
33 |
|
Tue 27 Jun 17 |
6 |
Mon 03 Jul 17 |
23 |
29 |
|
Wed 26 Jul 17 |
7 |
Wed 02 Aug 17 |
15 |
22 |
|
Thu 17 Aug 17 |
9 |
Sat 26 Aug 17 |
18 |
27 |
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 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 07 Aug 17 |
2 |
Wed 09 Aug 17 |
5 |
7 |
|
Mon 14 Aug 17 |
1 |
Tue 15 Aug 17 |
6 |
7 |
|
Mon 21 Aug 17 |
1 |
Tue 22 Aug 17 |
6 |
7 |
|
Mon 28 Aug 17 |
1 |
Tue 29 Aug 17 |
6 |
7 |
| Mon 04 Sep 17 | 1 | Tue 05 Sep 17 | 6 | 7 |
More information
Petrol, diesel and LPG
Monitoring of the Australian petroleum industry - reports