Fuel News

The Australian Government is pushing to keep the country's remaining two oil refineries open, using the Federal Budget to announce payments to help maintain Australia's current level of fuel security. The number of Australian oil refineries has halved in the past seven months, putting increasing pressure on the country's limited storage capacity.

The cost of petrol is skyrocketing ahead of the Easter long weekend, with prices in the three main capital cities returning to pre-pandemic levels. The average price of fuel hit 147.2 cents per litre in Melbourne this week and is expected to continue its rise alongside Brisbane, which is currently at 164.3 cents despite the ongoing lockdown. Melbourne's more affluent suburbs – including Hawthorn and Camberwell – hit $1.60 a litre, while some Eastern suburbs reached $1.70.

As several states propose dedicated taxes for electric cars in lieu of the fuel excise, an Australian economist has suggested a potentially controversial alternative plan for "fairly" taxing road users to cover national road maintenance. Richard Denniss, Chief Economist at The Australia Institute think tank, has slammed misconceptions that the fuel excise gives electric cars a free ride, suggesting the Federal Government should instead increase taxes on heavy trucks.

The price of petrol might be hitting 20-year lows but as night follows day the cost will go up. As many motorists look to save money amid the coronavirus outbreak, we’ve compiled a list of five of the most economical new cars under $20,000. There’s not a hybrid among them because petrol-electric technology is still relatively expensive, but the good news is all of these cars can run on regular 91 unleaded; they don’t require expensive premium unleaded.

This is going to make uncomfortable reading for a lot of mums and dads on the school run – especially as Australia is front and centre in the global boom in SUV sales. A report by the International Energy Agency released overnight says the massive growth in SUV sales around the world is offsetting the fuel savings being made in the latest small cars.