Six cheap fuel tips you don’t already know about

With more people on the road during a long weekend, petrol stations will look to capitalise on this by raising the price of fuel.

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According to the Australian Institute of Petroleum (AIP), Australia saw an unleaded petrol price hike of a national average of 6.7 cents per litre in metro areas on the week of Easter in 2023 compared to the two weeks prior. Meanwhile, rural areas had a price hike of 5.5 cents per litre.

Melbourne, with a price increase of 13.5 cents per litre, and Brisbane, with a price increase of 23.5 cents per litre, were hit the hardest last year.

NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury told 9News petrol prices would be at their lowest early this week and will rise next week closer to Easter.

"For families going on an Easter road trip, they should fill up now before travelling for the long weekend," he said.

So, it's best to be prepared before hitting the road this year; otherwise, you'll feel the pain when you tap your card at the petrol station this Easter. We have some tips on how to save on fuel.

The most popular option for motorists looking to save is to use a price-locking app.

Petrol and convenience store giant 7-Eleven is the only fuel provider that offers this service. You can download its free app. The app will find the cheapest price out of the five stores nearest to you, and you can lock in this price for seven days.

You can then use this locked price at any 7-Eleven store for up to 150 litres.

Unfortunately, just ahead of the Easter holiday price hikes, 7-Eleven announced it is capping the savings at 25 cents per litre. Prior to this, it was a completely free game, although it is still an awesome way to save some money on a fill-up.

Additionally, PetrolSpy is a must-have free app when you're looking to compare prices in your local area and the area you're travelling to.

It also pays to download apps from the big four service stations, Shell, BP, Ampol/Caltex, and United, to get deals/loyalty programs that will save you money on your fill-up.

Gaining frequent flyer points and other perks on a fill-up might not give you immediate savings, but it'll score you some perks in the future.

New petrol station complexes with multiple restaurants, a mini supermarket and massive car parks seem to be popping up on Australia's major highways.

Mark McKenzie from the Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association (ACAPMA) says that these are, on average, charging more in fuel compared to that dingy little local petrol station with a handful of pumps.

"There are three groups of petrol stations: discount sites, mid-range sites, and premium sites. The premium sites have a gleaming forecourt, they have a lot of fuel bowsers, and they've got a food offering. Those big sites, on average, tend to be on the higher side [in terms of fuel pricing]," Mr McKenzie says.

"At the other end, we have the discounted sites; these are very plain and often look like it's just a carport with some browsers and a small store. Those sites, all of their offering is fuel… so the only mechanism they have to compete, because they don't have the draw that comes from being able to sell food, is the price."

"But it's not always the case; it depends on where we are in the petrol price cycle."

Often, at the larger petrol stations, they'll have a deal on 'buy these chocolate bars and get four cents off each litre of fuel' or something along those lines. Usually, the fuel saving isn't a huge amount, but at the minimum, you'll end up with some free chocolates.

Ampol and Woolworths have a deal that scores you four cents off a litre when you spend $30 or more at Woolworths or Woolworths Metro. Yes, you'd have to fill up 750 litres to get that money back, but it's a nice little win if you already need to pick up some things from the shop.

Participating Caltex and EG service stations will give you an extra four cents per litre off if you spend $5 in store while filling up too. Find out more here.

Mark McKenzie says that petrol stations can offer this since the markup on their snacks is much larger than on their fuel products.

"Their [petrol stations] profit level on dollar spend per non-fuel product is double what it is on selling fuel. They will do better on profit if they offer incentives [buying in-store products] to get cheaper fuel."

Most retailers run on a petrol price cycle. These cycles usually last four to six weeks in major cities, and prices move from a low point to a high point.

Historically speaking, the ACCC says that the best day to fill up is a Wednesday if you're from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Adelaide.

The only major city that does not follow the four- to six-week theme is Perth. They run on a weekly basis, and Mark McKenzie says that Tuesday is the golden day to fill up if you're in Perth.

However, these pricing cycles don't exist in Hobart, Canberra or Darwin. We have a full rundown on the petrol cycles here.

The further you get from the major cities, the less you'll see these trends occur and the more independent pricing will be applied.

That's why if you're heading to a rural area for a getaway, it could be worth filling up before leaving if the prices are low in the city or filling up when you get to your location if they are high in the city.

"Let's just say Sydney is at the bottom of the petrol price cycle. You need to look at what the fuel sites are doing in terms of pricing in the large cities. Regional areas don't discount, so when fuel prices are down near the bottom in the capital city, the regional prices are more expensive, and vice versa," says Mr McKenzie.

It's an excellent idea to check fuel pricing apps to see what the trends are before heading out. Petrol stations are government-regulated to report their fuel costs in every state and territory, except Victoria.

If you have a Linkt toll account, you could be eligible for up to 18 cents per litre of savings on your fill-up at Shell.

You can redeem a four cents per litre saving through the Linkt phone app, but you can take it further by stacking a Coles supermarket docket on top that will give you four more cents off per litre. Then, spend $20 in-store at a Shell Coles Express and get a total of 18 cents per litre off your fuel!

You can check out the full offer here.

If you're really looking to scrimp and save, E10 tends to be around two cents per litre cheaper than its unleaded 91 counterpart. It also lowers greenhouse gases and other car emissions.

You can check if your car is E10-compatible using the free ServiceNSW tool – just choose your make and model here.