Petrol prices step up from 3 August 2026.
Australia’s temporary fuel excise cut ends on 2 August 2026, and from 3 August petrol and diesel prices are expected to rise by just under 18 c/L – the 16 c/L of returning excise plus GST, or about $8.80 on a 50-litre fill. Here’s what is changing, when, and what it looks like at the pump – with live numbers from every capital.
Published 7 July 2026. Rates and dates from Australian Government announcements, linked below.
Free – no ads, no account, no tracking.What is changing
Fuel excise is the federal tax built into every litre of petrol and diesel – 52.6 c/L at its full rate. As cost-of-living relief after oil prices spiked in early 2026, the government cut it by 32 c/L (from 52.6 c/L to 20.6 c/L) from 1 April, then extended the relief at a reduced 16 c/L through July. It ends on 2 August.
| Period | Excise cut (c/L) | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Until 31 March 2026 | 0 | Full excise – 52.6 c/L |
| 1 April – 30 June 2026 | 32 | Excise cut from 52.6 to 20.6 c/L |
| 1 July – 2 August 2026 | 16 | Reduced relief – the rate in effect now |
| From 3 August 2026 | 0 | Full excise restored – pump prices expected to rise just under 18 c/L |
The arithmetic at the pump
The returning excise is 16 c/L, and excise attracts GST – so the mechanical effect on pump prices is 17.6 c/L. On a 50-litre fill, that is about $8.80. On a small 40-litre tank, about $7. The rise applies to petrol and diesel alike.
It won’t land at midnight. Stations pass excise through as they buy new full-excise stock, so the rise typically flows through over days – and it reaches different stations at different times, which briefly widens the gap between them.
What have petrol prices done through the excise period?
Greater Sydney's daily median through every step: the March spike, the 32 c/L cut on 1 April, the ceasefire a week later, the 1 July step-down – and from 3 August the full rate returning, which appears on the chart on the day. Every capital and region carries its own 90-day chart – pick yours.
How fast will the rise reach the pumps?
From 3 August this section goes live. FuelNow is snapshotting every station's price at the end of July – 29 July to 1 August – and from the day the full rate returns it counts, city by city, how many stations are priced the full 17.6 c/L above their own late-July level. Each station is compared with itself, so the count measures the excise actually landing, not just markets moving.
From 3 August the counts publish here and as a CSV download – CC BY 4.0, attribute "FuelNow (fuelnow.com.au)".
The gap between stations, today
Some perspective on 18 c/L: the gap between the cheapest and most expensive station in the same capital is often larger than the entire excise change. As at 11:42 pm AEST on 12 July 2026, that gap exceeds the coming 17.6 c/L change in 7 of the 8 capitals reporting.
| City | Cheapest U91 (c/L) | Most expensive | Gap (c/L) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 147.9 | 201.9 | 54.0 |
| Melbourne | 141.5 | 239.9 | 98.4 |
| Brisbane | 156.5 | 199.9 | 43.4 |
| Perth | 142.7 | 209.5 | 66.8 |
| Adelaide | 152.7 | 199.9 | 47.2 |
| Hobart | 156.5 | 298.9 | 142.4 |
| Canberra | 162.7 | 189.9 | 27.2 |
| Darwin | 169.5 | 175.9 | 6.4 |
Live official-scheme data across each greater-metro area, as at . Victorian prices are the latest the government's public feed has released. This table refreshes every few minutes.
Questions
- Why are petrol prices rising in August 2026?
- The federal government’s temporary cut to fuel excise ends on 2 August 2026. Excise was cut by 32 c/L (from 52.6 c/L to 20.6 c/L) from 1 April 2026 as cost-of-living relief, then the relief stepped down to a 16 c/L cut from 1 July; from 3 August the full excise rate applies again, and pump prices are expected to rise accordingly.
- How much will petrol prices rise in August 2026?
- The ending relief is 16 c/L of excise, and excise attracts GST – so the mechanical effect at the pump is just under 18 c/L (16 c/L plus 10% GST is 17.6 c/L). On a 50-litre fill, that is about $8.80. Actual prices also move with international oil prices and local price cycles, so the day-to-day change at any one station will vary around that figure.
- When exactly do prices go up?
- The 16 c/L excise cut runs until 2 August 2026, and the full rate applies from 3 August. Stations pass excise through as they buy new full-excise stock, so the rise typically flows through over days rather than landing at midnight – and it lands at different stations at different times.
- Does diesel go up too?
- Yes. The excise change applies to both petrol and diesel, so diesel prices are expected to rise by the same amount. The matching 16 c/L cut to the heavy vehicle road user charge ends at the same time.
- Will every station rise by the same amount?
- The excise change is uniform, but stations in the same city are rarely priced the same – the gap between the cheapest and most expensive station in a capital is often larger than the excise change itself. Which station you choose can matter as much as the calendar. The FuelNow app shows every station’s live price – free, no ads, no account.
Sources
- Fuel tax relief extended – Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, June 2026
- Additional fuel excise relief for the month of July – Prime Minister of Australia
- Fuel excise halved for three months – Prime Minister of Australia, March 2026
- Fact sheet: fuel excise relief measures from 1 April 2026 – Department of Infrastructure
- Weekly fuel price monitoring update – ACCC; the regulator’s price series through the excise period
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