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, price cycle durations in these capital cities 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 are increasing
- if motorists shop around, they may find some retailers that have not yet increased prices.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 10 Nov 17 | 4 | Tue 14 Nov 17 | 21 | 25 |
| Tue 05 Dec 17 | 6 | Mon 11 Dec 17 | 22 | 28 |
| Tue 02 Jan 18 | 7 | Tue 09 Jan 18 | 29 | 36 |
| Wed 07 Feb 18 | 11 | Sun 18 Feb 18 | 16 | 27 |
| Tue 06 Mar 18 | 8 | Wed 14 March 18 | 20 | 28 |
Petrol prices in Melbourne
Buying tip (updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday):
- prices appear to be around the highest point in the cycle
- if possible, motorists should avoid buying petrol at this time.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 17 Oct 17 | 6 | Mon 23 Oct 17 | 24 | 30 |
| Tue 16 Nov 17 | 4 | Mon 20 Nov 17 | 18 | 22 |
| Fri 08 Dec 17 | 6 | Thu 14 Dec 17 | 33 | 39 |
| Tue 16 Jan 18 | 5 | Sun 21 Jan 18 | 25 | 30 |
| Thu 15 Feb 18 | 5 | Tue 20 Feb 18 | 27 | 32 |
Petrol prices in Brisbane
Buying tip (updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday):
- prices appear to be around the highest point in the cycle
- if possible, motorists should avoid buying petrol at this time.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 19 Oct 17 | 5 | Tue 24 Oct 17 | 17 | 22 |
| Fri 10 Nov 17 | 6 | Thu 16 Nov 17 | 20 | 26 |
| Wed 06 Dec 17 | 7 | Wed 13 Dec 17 | 35 | 42 |
| Wed 17 Jan 18 | 5 | Mon 22 Jan 18 | 25 | 30 |
| Fri 16 Feb 18 | 6 | Wed 21 Feb 18 | 23 | 28 |
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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 08 Dec 17 | 4 | Tue 12 Dec 17 | 27 | 31 |
| Mon 08 Jan 18 | 5 | Sat 13 Jan 18 | 20 | 25 |
| Fri 02 Feb 18 | 8 | Sat 10 Feb 18 | 18 | 26 |
| Wed 28 Feb 18 | 6 | Mon 06 Mar 18 | 13 | 19 |
| Mon 19 Mar 18 | 8 | Tue 27 Mar 18 | 12 | 20 |
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 12 Mar 18 | 1 | Tue 13 Mar 18 | 6 | 7 |
| Mon 19 Mar 18 | 1 | Tue 20 Mar 18 | 6 | 7 |
| Mon 26 Mar 18 | 1 | Tue 27 Mar 18 | 6 | 7 |
| Mon 02 Apr 18 | 1 | Tue 03 Apr 18 | 6 | 7 |
| Mon 09 Apr 18 | 1 | Tue 10 Apr 18 | 6 | 7 |
More information
Petrol, diesel and LPG
Monitoring of the Australian petroleum industry - reports