Compare the Market: Petrol Prices

Compare the Market will save you money when buying fuel by locating the best price in your area with Simples App.

With Simples you can compare a wide range of products available find fuel prices in your area with a tap of your finger and gain access to great offers when they become available.

Why is comparing petrol prices important?

Fuel prices vary for a number of reasons and without getting into why we know that these fluctuations can significantly impact how much it costs to fill up your car or motorbike. As well as varying by country and state information published by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has shown that fuel prices can vary between cities and also depending on what day of the week it is.

According to Fuel Price Australia Melbourne's fuel prices are particularly volatile and follow a 20-day pricing cycle*. It is one of the most pricey capitals to fuel up in with drivers paying on average 4% more per litre than in Sydney. Finding ways to reduce fuel costs can therefore have a big impact on your monthly spending and in Melbourne alone a driver could save up to $596 per year.

There are things you can do to reduce consumption but looking purely at price finding the cheapest petrol station is likely to pay dividends. This is true for regular commutes such as going to work and for longer trips.

*The fuel price cycle is the average time taken for prices to move from the lowest to the highest point and back to the lowest again.

Comparing fuel prices with Compare the Market

There are a number of different ways to check fuel prices including websites apps and subscription services. One of these which offers a free service via their website and mobile app is Compare the Market.

Compare the Market's fuel comparison tool covers all states across Australia and is updated three times per day. Drivers can also search by fuel type with a range of options to select from including:

Unleaded petrol

Diesel

LPG

Premium unleaded 95 and 98 fuels

Ethanol (E10 and E85)

Biodiesel

Premium diesel.

To find out more and check prices in Melbourne or further afield visit Compare the Market's fuel comparison page

www.comparethemarket.com.au

APP: Simples

With Simples you can compare a wide range of products available through us find fuel prices in your area with a tap of your finger and gain access to great offers when they become available.

How else can I save on petrol?

Of course finding the cheapest petrol station isn't the only way to reduce how much you spend on fuel. Here are 5 handy tips to help you to reduce fuel consumption:

1. Drive as smoothly as possible and avoid revving your engine
2. Where possible try to stay at the most fuel-efficient speed for your car and avoid high speeds. According to Econation if you travel at 110km/h you will use 15% more petrol than if you were to drive at 100km/h
3. Turn off the air conditioning
4. Keep your tyres inflated to the right pressure
5. Turn off your engine while parked rather than idling. According to the Environment Defence Fund this saves fuel if you will be stationary for 10 seconds or more; however unless you have start-stop technology installed it is not safe to do this at traffic lights or similar.