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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 12 Jun 18 | 7 | Tue 19 Jun 18 | 21 | 28 |
| Tue 10 Jul 18 | 6 | Mon 16 Jul 18 | 16 | 22 |
| Wed 01 Aug 18 | 7 | Wed 08 Aug 18 | 15 | 22 |
| Thu 23 Aug 18 | 7 | Thu 30 Aug 18 | 17 | 24 |
| Sun 16 Sep 18 | 9 | Tue 25 Sep 18 | 16 | 25 |
Petrol prices in Melbourne
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 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 16 Jun 18 | 7 | Sat 23 Jun 18 | 18 | 25 |
| Wed 11 Jul 18 | 8 | Thu 19 Jul 18 | 18 | 26 |
| Mon 06 Aug 18 | 6 | Sun 12 Aug 18 | 17 | 23 |
| Wed 29 Aug 18 | 6 | Tue 04 Sep 18 | 16 | 22 |
| Thu 20 Sep 18 | 6 | Wed 26 Sep 18 | 21 | 27 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 17 May 18 | 5 | Tue 22 May 18 | 27 | 32 |
| Mon 18 Jun 18 | 8 | Tue 26 Jun 18 | 16 | 24 |
| Thu 12 Jul 18 | 9 | Sat 21 Jul 18 | 16 | 25 |
| Mon 06 Aug 18 | 7 | Mon 13 Aug 18 | 22 | 29 |
| Tue 04 Sep 18 | 6 | Mon 10 Sep 18 | 24 | 30 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 12 Aug 18 | 5 | Fri 17 Aug 18 | 12 | 17 |
| Wed 29 Aug 18 | 3 | Sat 01 Sep 18 | 11 | 14 |
| Wed 12 Sep 18 | 3 | Sat 15 Sep 18 | 17 | 20 |
| Tue 02 Oct 18 | 4 | Sat 06 Oct 18 | 17 | 21 |
| Tue 23 Oct 18 | 4 | Sat 27 Oct 18 | 17 | 21 |
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 08 Oct 18 | 1 | Tue 09 Oct 18 | 6 | 7 |
| Mon 15 Oct 18 | 1 | Tue 16 Oct 18 | 6 | 7 |
| Mon 22 Oct 18 | 1 | Tue 23 Oct 18 | 6 | 7 |
| Mon 29 Oct 18 | 1 | Tue 30 Oct 18 | 6 | 7 |
| Mon 05 Nov 18 | 1 | Tue 06 Nov 18 | 6 | 7 |
More information
Petrol, diesel and LPG
Monitoring of the Australian petroleum industry - reports