Motorists could save hundreds of dollars a year, simply by choosing to fill up at low-priced petrol retailers, a new ACCC petrol report has found.
The ACCC report analysed average retail petrol prices throughout 2018, and compared the prices between high- and low-priced major petrol retailers in the eight Australian capital cities.
“The data reveals that independent chains were the lowest priced retailers in all eight cities, while Coles Express was the highest priced retailer in almost all cities,” ACCC Chair Rod Sims said.
The independent chains with the lowest average prices in 2018 were United in Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Hobart, Speedway in Sydney, Liberty in Adelaide, Vibe in Perth and FuelXpress in Darwin.
“Motorists that always filled up at these independent chains would have come out ahead when it comes to petrol,” Mr Sims said.
“While some motorists decide where to fill up based on reasons other than price, such as convenience and related offers, for many consumers price is the biggest influence on where they buy petrol.”
In 2018, a motorist in Sydney could have saved around $343 for the year by choosing to fill up at these independent retailers rather than the highest-priced player. Similar savings would have been around $148 in Melbourne, around $229 in Brisbane, around $211 in Perth and around $159 in Adelaide.
Collectively, the ACCC estimates that savings to motorists from switching from a range of high- to low-priced petrol retailers in the five largest cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth) could have totalled around $275 million in 2018.
“Motorists who want to save money on petrol should use fuel price apps and websites,” Mr Sims said.
“Consumers do not only benefit from the lower prices they find using these apps, but they also help reward retailers who actively compete on price.”
Fuel price websites and apps that provide information to drivers about petrol prices, include the NSW FuelCheck website and app, the Northern Territory MyFuel NT website and app, the WA FuelWatch website, the MotorMouth website and app, and apps operated by GasBuddy, the NRMA and RACQ, 7-Eleven and Woolworths.
In the past AfMA has conducted a road test on some of the best fuel-saving apps available on the market, click here to read more.
