Analytics
Fuel Price Cycles
See where petrol sits in its price cycle across Australia — so you know whether to fill up today or wait for the next drop.
90-day historyCycle analysisCity comparison
What you are looking at
How petrol price cycles work
In most Australian capitals, retail petrol prices follow a repeating pattern: a sharp jump, then a slow fall. Where you sit in that cycle is the call — fill up today, or wait for the bottom.
Jump day = hold
When retailers reset prices, they jump 20–30c/L overnight. Fill up on a jump day and you pay top of the cycle for the next week or two.
Bottom of the cycle = fill up
After the jump, prices drift down for several days. The cheapest day is typically right before the next reset — often a Monday or Tuesday in eastern capitals.
Cycle length varies
Brisbane runs ~28-day cycles, Sydney/Melbourne typically 14, Perth a strict 7-day cycle. Smaller markets like Adelaide can be irregular. Use the chart to confirm.
The last 90 days
Read the cycle
How to read the cycle
Petrol prices in Australia move in a fairly predictable cycle. Once you can read it, you fill up before the next jump instead of after it.
What each phase means for your fill
- Bottom of the cycle: fill up — prices are near their low.
- On the way up: the next jump has started, so waiting costs you.
- Top of the cycle: hold off if you can — prices are near their peak.
- On the way down: worth waiting — the next few days should be cheaper.
Common questions
Price cycle FAQ
It is not deliberate coordination — retailers raise prices to recover margin, then compete each other down until margins disappear, at which point the cycle restarts. Market regulators have tracked this dynamic since the 1990s.
FuelRadar Australia app
Know when to fill up — in your pocket
See the forecast for your fuel and your servos, so you fill up before the next price jump — plus live prices when you need them.
- Today's call: fill up, wait or hold
- A heads-up before the next price jump
- Forecast the bottom of the cycle
- Cheapest servo near you, in seconds
