Fuel Fuel price forecast: fill up or wait?
A live buy-or-wait read for every Australian city. We track where each city sits in its price cycle and whether prices are climbing or dropping, so you know whether to fill up today or hold off for a cheaper tank. Updated daily from official government pricing.
Petrol prices move in cycles - a sharp hike, then a slow grind down as stations undercut each other, until the next hike. Timing your fill-up around the bottom of that cycle saves roughly $3-5 a tank. Each card below shows where a city sits right now and our verdict.
Last updated 25 Oct 2026 · 32 cities tracked
221.1c/L E10 · cycle 221.1-224.6c
Adelaide E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 221.1c/L (its 221.1-224.6c range over the last 6 days). Good time to fill up. We are still building this city's price history, so treat it as a guide.
Adelaide fuel prices264.3c/L Unleaded 91 · cycle 264.3-267.1c
Alice Springs Unleaded 91 is near the bottom of its cycle at 264.3c/L (its 264.3-267.1c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up. We are still building this city's price history, so treat it as a guide.
Alice Springs fuel prices231.2c/L E10 · cycle 230.4-239.0c
Ballarat E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 231.2c/L (its 230.4-239.0c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Ballarat fuel prices235.8c/L E10 · cycle 234.7-239.7c
Bendigo E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 235.8c/L (its 234.7-239.7c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Bendigo fuel prices242.1c/L E10 · cycle 242.1-245.7c
Blue Mountains E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 242.1c/L (its 242.1-245.7c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Blue Mountains fuel prices233.3c/L E10 · cycle 233.3-237.9c
Brisbane E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 233.3c/L (its 233.3-237.9c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Brisbane fuel prices235.4c/L Unleaded 91 · cycle 235.1-237.9c
Bunbury Unleaded 91 is near the bottom of its cycle at 235.4c/L (its 235.1-237.9c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up. We are still building this city's price history, so treat it as a guide.
Bunbury fuel prices233.1c/L E10 · cycle 233.1-237.9c
Bundaberg E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 233.1c/L (its 233.1-237.9c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Bundaberg fuel prices233.4c/L E10 · cycle 233.4-237.6c
Cairns E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 233.4c/L (its 233.4-237.6c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Cairns fuel prices236.7c/L E10 · cycle 236.7-241.4c
Central Coast E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 236.7c/L (its 236.7-241.4c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Central Coast fuel prices245.5c/L Unleaded 91 · cycle 245.5-249.4c
Darwin Unleaded 91 is near the bottom of its cycle at 245.5c/L (its 245.5-249.4c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Darwin fuel prices251.4c/L Unleaded 91 · cycle 251.4-255.3c
Devonport Unleaded 91 is near the bottom of its cycle at 251.4c/L (its 251.4-255.3c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Devonport fuel prices230.9c/L E10 · cycle 230.9-235.7c
Geelong E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 230.9c/L (its 230.9-235.7c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Geelong fuel prices234.7c/L E10 · cycle 234.1-239.9c
Gold Coast E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 234.7c/L (its 234.1-239.9c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Gold Coast fuel prices239.5c/L E10 · cycle 239.5-243.1c
Hobart E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 239.5c/L (its 239.5-243.1c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Hobart fuel prices234.9c/L E10 · cycle 234.9-238.4c
Ipswich E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 234.9c/L (its 234.9-238.4c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Ipswich fuel prices243.9c/L E10 · cycle 243.9-244.9c
Launceston E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 243.9c/L (its 243.9-244.9c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up. We are still building this city's price history, so treat it as a guide.
Launceston fuel prices232.7c/L E10 · cycle 232.7-239.1c
Liverpool E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 232.7c/L (its 232.7-239.1c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Liverpool fuel prices235.3c/L E10 · cycle 235.1-239.2c
Mackay E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 235.3c/L (its 235.1-239.2c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Mackay fuel prices229.7c/L Unleaded 91 · cycle 224.9-248.0c
Mandurah Unleaded 91 is near the bottom of its cycle at 229.7c/L (its 224.9-248.0c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Mandurah fuel prices231.1c/L E10 · cycle 231.1-238.8c
Melbourne E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 231.1c/L (its 231.1-238.8c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Melbourne fuel prices236.0c/L E10 · cycle 235.9-240.8c
Newcastle E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 236.0c/L (its 235.9-240.8c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Newcastle fuel prices232.9c/L E10 · cycle 232.9-239.8c
Parramatta E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 232.9c/L (its 232.9-239.8c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Parramatta fuel prices236.3c/L E10 · cycle 236.3-242.4c
Penrith E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 236.3c/L (its 236.3-242.4c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Penrith fuel prices227.5c/L Unleaded 91 · cycle 225.1-245.1c
Perth Unleaded 91 is near the bottom of its cycle at 227.5c/L (its 225.1-245.1c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Perth fuel prices242.8c/L E10 · cycle 242.8-246.5c
Rockhampton E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 242.8c/L (its 242.8-246.5c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Rockhampton fuel prices238.1c/L E10 · cycle 238.1-241.7c
Sunshine Coast E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 238.1c/L (its 238.1-241.7c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Sunshine Coast fuel prices233.7c/L E10 · cycle 233.6-240.2c
Sydney E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 233.7c/L (its 233.6-240.2c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Sydney fuel prices235.1c/L E10 · cycle 235.1-239.2c
Toowoomba E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 235.1c/L (its 235.1-239.2c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Toowoomba fuel prices235.4c/L E10 · cycle 235.4-239.6c
Townsville E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 235.4c/L (its 235.4-239.6c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Townsville fuel prices237.6c/L E10 · cycle 237.6-241.6c
Wollongong E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 237.6c/L (its 237.6-241.6c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Wollongong fuel prices236.2c/L E10 · cycle 236.2-241.3c
Wyong E10 is near the bottom of its cycle at 236.2c/L (its 236.2-241.3c range over the last 14 days). Good time to fill up.
Wyong fuel pricesHow the buy-or-wait forecast works
Most Australian capital cities run on a rough 4-6 week petrol price cycle, and South-East Queensland on a longer 42-day cycle. The pump price isn't tracking the cost of oil day to day - it's the retailers' margin sawtoothing up and down. Prices are hiked sharply on a "restore" day, then grind down as servos undercut each other, until someone hikes again and it restarts. We break the full chain down in how fuel prices are set.
Our forecast reads the last two weeks of each city's average price and works out where today sits between the cycle's cheapest and dearest points, plus which way prices are moving right now. Near the bottom, we say fill up now. Lifting off the low, fill up soon before it climbs. Near the top and rising, wait - a drop is likely. Mid-cycle with no clear move, no rush. It's a guide, not a guarantee: an oil-price shock or a public holiday can override the cycle. For the underlying charts, see the 14-day price trends; once you've spotted a low, find the cheapest servo near you on the live fuel map.
Cycles differ by market. Sydney and NSW and Melbourne run shorter 4-6 week cycles; Perth and WA run a tight weekly rhythm where FuelWatch even shows tomorrow's prices; and Adelaide, Darwin and Hobart move less predictably. Our best time to buy fuel guide covers the timing, and you can plan a trip's cost with the fuel cost calculator.
Should I fill up today or wait?
Find your city in the board above. If it says "fill up now" or "fill up soon", prices are near the bottom of the cycle - top up. If it says "wait", you're near the top and a drop is likely within days, so buy only what you need to get by. "No rush" means mid-cycle with no clear move.
How accurate is the forecast?
It's based on the real 14-day price history for each city from official government data, so it reflects where the cycle actually is - not a black-box prediction. It can't foresee sudden shocks (an oil-price spike, refinery outage or public-holiday hike), so treat it as a strong guide rather than a guarantee.
When is petrol usually cheapest in the week?
In cities on a metro cycle, prices typically bottom out on Tuesday and Wednesday in the days after a reset, then climb toward the weekend and public holidays. Perth is different - under FuelWatch it resets daily, so tomorrow's prices are published today.