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 20 Jul 2026 · 31 cities tracked
171.6c/L E10 · cycle 155.5-177.7c
Gold Coast E10 is 171.6c/L, mid-cycle with no clear move. Fill up whenever suits.
170.9c/L E10 · cycle 159.9-174.9c
Launceston E10 is 170.9c/L, mid-cycle with no clear move. Fill up whenever suits.
173.4c/L Unleaded 91 · cycle 163.9-178.3c
Mandurah Unleaded 91 is 173.4c/L, mid-cycle with no clear move. Fill up whenever suits.
200.9c/L Unleaded 91 · cycle 186.8-200.9c
Alice Springs Unleaded 91 is 200.9c/L, near the top of its 186.8-200.9c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
170.5c/L E10 · cycle 152.4-170.5c
Ballarat E10 is 170.5c/L, near the top of its 152.4-170.5c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
164.7c/L E10 · cycle 149.9-164.7c
Bendigo E10 is 164.7c/L, near the top of its 149.9-164.7c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
188.7c/L E10 · cycle 163.0-188.7c
Blue Mountains E10 is 188.7c/L, near the top of its 163.0-188.7c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
175.3c/L E10 · cycle 155.1-175.3c
Brisbane E10 is 175.3c/L, near the top of its 155.1-175.3c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
175.5c/L Unleaded 91 · cycle 166.3-175.5c
Bunbury Unleaded 91 is 175.5c/L, near the top of its 166.3-175.5c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
173.6c/L E10 · cycle 161.2-173.6c
Bundaberg E10 is 173.6c/L, near the top of its 161.2-173.6c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
178.2c/L E10 · cycle 160.6-178.2c
Cairns E10 is 178.2c/L, near the top of its 160.6-178.2c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
175.5c/L E10 · cycle 163.3-175.5c
Central Coast E10 is 175.5c/L, near the top of its 163.3-175.5c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
179.8c/L Unleaded 91 · cycle 165.4-180.0c
Darwin Unleaded 91 is 179.8c/L, near the top of its 165.4-180.0c cycle. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
183.1c/L Unleaded 91 · cycle 174.6-183.1c
Devonport Unleaded 91 is 183.1c/L, near the top of its 174.6-183.1c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
166.4c/L E10 · cycle 151.0-166.4c
Geelong E10 is 166.4c/L, near the top of its 151.0-166.4c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
168.1c/L E10 · cycle 157.7-168.5c
Hobart E10 is 168.1c/L, near the top of its 157.7-168.5c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
173.4c/L E10 · cycle 156.7-173.4c
Ipswich E10 is 173.4c/L, near the top of its 156.7-173.4c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
172.9c/L E10 · cycle 157.4-172.9c
Liverpool E10 is 172.9c/L, near the top of its 157.4-172.9c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
181.1c/L E10 · cycle 169.2-181.1c
Mackay E10 is 181.1c/L, near the top of its 169.2-181.1c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
172.3c/L E10 · cycle 151.1-172.3c
Melbourne E10 is 172.3c/L, near the top of its 151.1-172.3c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
171.9c/L E10 · cycle 159.6-171.9c
Newcastle E10 is 171.9c/L, near the top of its 159.6-171.9c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
171.9c/L E10 · cycle 156.6-171.9c
Parramatta E10 is 171.9c/L, near the top of its 156.6-171.9c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
174.7c/L E10 · cycle 156.9-174.7c
Penrith E10 is 174.7c/L, near the top of its 156.9-174.7c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
172.3c/L Unleaded 91 · cycle 162.2-174.8c
Perth Unleaded 91 is 172.3c/L, near the top of its 162.2-174.8c cycle. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
180.3c/L E10 · cycle 165.0-180.3c
Rockhampton E10 is 180.3c/L, near the top of its 165.0-180.3c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
174.7c/L E10 · cycle 161.6-174.7c
Sunshine Coast E10 is 174.7c/L, near the top of its 161.6-174.7c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
171.6c/L E10 · cycle 156.8-171.6c
Sydney E10 is 171.6c/L, near the top of its 156.8-171.6c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
171.7c/L E10 · cycle 163.3-171.7c
Toowoomba E10 is 171.7c/L, near the top of its 163.3-171.7c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
177.3c/L E10 · cycle 163.0-177.3c
Townsville E10 is 177.3c/L, near the top of its 163.0-177.3c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
177.1c/L E10 · cycle 163.5-177.1c
Wollongong E10 is 177.1c/L, near the top of its 163.5-177.1c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
175.6c/L E10 · cycle 164.8-175.6c
Wyong E10 is 175.6c/L, near the top of its 164.8-175.6c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
How 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.