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 10 Sep 2026 · 31 cities tracked
212.6c/L E10 · cycle 207.5-217.2c
Blue Mountains E10 is 212.6c/L, mid-cycle with no clear move. Fill up whenever suits.
Blue Mountains fuel prices198.5c/L E10 · cycle 194.3-204.5c
Melbourne E10 is 198.5c/L, mid-cycle with no clear move. Fill up whenever suits.
Melbourne fuel prices234.5c/L Unleaded 91 · cycle 231.5-234.5c
Alice Springs Unleaded 91 is 234.5c/L, near the top of its 231.5-234.5c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Alice Springs fuel prices200.9c/L E10 · cycle 198.0-200.9c
Ballarat E10 is 200.9c/L, near the top of its 198.0-200.9c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely. We are still building this city's price history, so treat it as a guide.
Ballarat fuel prices198.2c/L E10 · cycle 194.3-198.8c
Bendigo E10 is 198.2c/L, near the top of its 194.3-198.8c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Bendigo fuel prices208.5c/L E10 · cycle 199.2-208.5c
Brisbane E10 is 208.5c/L, near the top of its 199.2-208.5c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Brisbane fuel prices207.2c/L Unleaded 91 · cycle 201.7-207.2c
Bunbury Unleaded 91 is 207.2c/L, near the top of its 201.7-207.2c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Bunbury fuel prices205.7c/L E10 · cycle 199.1-205.7c
Bundaberg E10 is 205.7c/L, near the top of its 199.1-205.7c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Bundaberg fuel prices211.1c/L E10 · cycle 202.6-211.1c
Cairns E10 is 211.1c/L, near the top of its 202.6-211.1c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Cairns fuel prices212.2c/L E10 · cycle 203.0-212.2c
Central Coast E10 is 212.2c/L, near the top of its 203.0-212.2c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Central Coast fuel prices217.7c/L Unleaded 91 · cycle 211.9-217.7c
Darwin Unleaded 91 is 217.7c/L, near the top of its 211.9-217.7c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Darwin fuel prices215.5c/L Unleaded 91 · cycle 209.8-215.5c
Devonport Unleaded 91 is 215.5c/L, near the top of its 209.8-215.5c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Devonport fuel prices198.2c/L E10 · cycle 196.4-198.2c
Geelong E10 is 198.2c/L, near the top of its 196.4-198.2c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely. We are still building this city's price history, so treat it as a guide.
Geelong fuel prices210.4c/L E10 · cycle 196.5-210.4c
Gold Coast E10 is 210.4c/L, near the top of its 196.5-210.4c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Gold Coast fuel prices210.3c/L E10 · cycle 203.3-210.3c
Hobart E10 is 210.3c/L, near the top of its 203.3-210.3c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Hobart fuel prices210.3c/L E10 · cycle 201.3-210.3c
Ipswich E10 is 210.3c/L, near the top of its 201.3-210.3c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Ipswich fuel prices208.4c/L E10 · cycle 204.9-208.4c
Launceston E10 is 208.4c/L, near the top of its 204.9-208.4c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Launceston fuel prices207.5c/L E10 · cycle 198.5-207.5c
Liverpool E10 is 207.5c/L, near the top of its 198.5-207.5c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Liverpool fuel prices210.2c/L E10 · cycle 205.8-210.2c
Mackay E10 is 210.2c/L, near the top of its 205.8-210.2c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Mackay fuel prices218.5c/L Unleaded 91 · cycle 197.7-220.6c
Mandurah Unleaded 91 is 218.5c/L, near the top of its 197.7-220.6c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Mandurah fuel prices209.1c/L E10 · cycle 199.5-209.1c
Newcastle E10 is 209.1c/L, near the top of its 199.5-209.1c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Newcastle fuel prices207.8c/L E10 · cycle 199.1-207.8c
Parramatta E10 is 207.8c/L, near the top of its 199.1-207.8c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Parramatta fuel prices209.1c/L E10 · cycle 201.7-209.1c
Penrith E10 is 209.1c/L, near the top of its 201.7-209.1c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Penrith fuel prices213.9c/L Unleaded 91 · cycle 196.0-216.0c
Perth Unleaded 91 is 213.9c/L, near the top of its 196.0-216.0c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Perth fuel prices216.5c/L E10 · cycle 207.1-216.5c
Rockhampton E10 is 216.5c/L, near the top of its 207.1-216.5c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Rockhampton fuel prices209.6c/L E10 · cycle 201.1-209.6c
Sunshine Coast E10 is 209.6c/L, near the top of its 201.1-209.6c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Sunshine Coast fuel prices208.3c/L E10 · cycle 199.4-208.3c
Sydney E10 is 208.3c/L, near the top of its 199.4-208.3c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Sydney fuel prices207.9c/L E10 · cycle 201.8-207.9c
Toowoomba E10 is 207.9c/L, near the top of its 201.8-207.9c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Toowoomba fuel prices212.3c/L E10 · cycle 203.9-212.3c
Townsville E10 is 212.3c/L, near the top of its 203.9-212.3c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Townsville fuel prices212.1c/L E10 · cycle 202.3-212.1c
Wollongong E10 is 212.1c/L, near the top of its 202.3-212.1c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
Wollongong fuel prices211.8c/L E10 · cycle 202.4-211.8c
Wyong E10 is 211.8c/L, near the top of its 202.4-211.8c cycle and still rising. Hold off if you can - a price drop is likely.
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.