Petrol prices stepped up from 3 August 2026.
Australia’s temporary fuel excise cut ended on 2 August 2026 – from 3 August petrol and diesel prices step up by at least 17.6 c/L: the 16 c/L of returning excise plus GST, about $8.80 on a 50-litre fill. Stations pass it through as they take on full-excise stock, so it lands over days – and this page tracks it landing, station by station, in every capital.
Published 7 July 2026. Updated 1 September 2026. Tracking live since 3 August 2026. Rates and dates from Australian Government announcements, linked below.
What changed
Fuel excise is the federal tax built into every litre of petrol and diesel – 52.6 c/L at its full rate since February's indexation. 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 ended on 2 August.
The full rate that returned on 3 August is the August-indexed one: excise is indexed to CPI every February and August, and this round's figure is set by the June-quarter CPI, published 29 July. Indexation never lowers the rate – so the mechanical rise at the pump is at least 17.6 c/L, with the exact figure known five days before it applies.
| Period | Excise cut (c/L) | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 2 February – 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 last month of the cut |
| From 3 August 2026 | 0 | Full excise restored at its August-indexed rate – pump prices stepping up at least 17.6 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 at least 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, and the August indexation set on 29 July can add a little on top.
It didn’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 happened at the 1 July step-down?
The relief has already stepped down once – from a 32 c/L cut to 16 c/L on 1 July – and the regulator measured that rise landing. Across the five largest cities, average retail petrol prices rose 18.1 c/L in the fortnight to 15 July, to 169.6 c/L, against tax arithmetic of up to 17.6 c/L – the ACCC's weekly monitoring has the city-by-city numbers. The August step is the same size, and stations pass it through the same way: as full-excise stock arrives, over days.
Oil is a live variable on top. The Middle East ceasefire broke down in mid-July 2026 and the Strait of Hormuz was closed again, lifting oil prices around 10% in days – market moves like that land at the pump alongside the tax change, which is why the tracker below compares each station with its own late-July baseline instead of guessing at causes.
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, the strait closing again in mid-July – and the full rate returning from 3 August, updating daily as the rise lands. Every capital and region carries its own 90-day chart – pick yours.
How much of the rise has reached the pumps?
As at , the full 17.6 c/L is priced in at 35% of Australian stations – 2,522 of the 7,135 with a price verified since 3 August – and the median station sits 12.0 c/L above its own late-July price.
| City | Full rise reached | Share | Median rise (c/L) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 672 of 729 | 92% | +32.0 |
| Melbourne | 23 of 944 | 2% | +10.0 |
| Brisbane | 32 of 582 | 5% | +6.6 |
| Perth | 6 of 482 | 1% | +0.0 |
| Adelaide | 1 of 320 | 0% | +9.5 |
| Hobart | 18 of 19 | 95% | +30.0 |
| Canberra | 57 of 57 | 100% | +30.0 |
| Darwin | 0 of 52 | 0% | +9.0 |
Diesel is moving the same way: the full 17.6 c/L is priced in at 66% of stations with a post-3-August diesel price, and the median diesel rise is +20.0 c/L.
Each station is compared with itself: its latest verified price against the median of its own end-of-day prices over 29 July – 1 August. “Full rise reached” counts stations at least 17.6 c/L above that baseline, out of the stations with a price verified since 3 August. Price cycles keep moving underneath, so a station can cross earlier or later than the excise alone would move it, and Melbourne’s public feed runs a day behind. Cross-check: the ACCC’s weekly fuel price monitoring. How these figures are calculated. Download these counts as CSV – CC BY 4.0.
The gap between stations
Some perspective on the rise: the gap between the cheapest and most expensive station in the same capital is often larger than the entire excise change. As at 3:33 pm AEST on 1 September 2026, that gap exceeds 17.6 c/L – the floor of the change – in 6 of the 8 capitals reporting.
| City | Cheapest U91 (c/L) | Most expensive | Gap (c/L) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 159.9 | 231.9 | 72.0 |
| Melbourne | 166.9 | 239.9 | 73.0 |
| Brisbane | 169.9 | 229.9 | 60.0 |
| Perth | 186.2 | 215.0 | 28.8 |
| Adelaide | 192.5 | 214.9 | 22.4 |
| Hobart | 194.9 | 220.9 | 26.0 |
| Canberra | 195.9 | 212.9 | 17.0 |
| Darwin | 208.5 | 215.9 | 7.4 |
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
Has the August 2026 price rise reached the pumps yet?
As at 3:33 pm AEST on 1 September 2026, the full 17.6 c/L is priced in at 35% of Australian stations – 2,522 of the 7,135 with a price verified since 3 August – and the median station sits 12.0 c/L above its own late-July price. City-by-city counts are in the tracker on this page.
Why did petrol prices rise in August 2026?
The federal government’s temporary cut to fuel excise ended 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 rise accordingly as stations take on full-excise stock.
How much did petrol prices rise in August 2026?
The relief that ended was 16 c/L of excise, and excise attracts GST – so the mechanical effect at the pump is at least 17.6 c/L (16 c/L plus 10% GST, before the excise’s routine August indexation). 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 varies around that figure – the tracker on this page counts the stations where the full rise has landed.
Was the excise also indexed in August 2026?
Yes. Fuel excise is indexed to CPI every February and August, and the law ending the relief restored the full rate including the August indexation. February’s indexation had set the full rate at 52.6 c/L; the August figure was set by the June-quarter CPI, published 29 July 2026.
When exactly did prices go up?
The 16 c/L excise cut ran 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 flows through over days rather than landing at midnight – it reaches different stations at different times, which is exactly what the tracker on this page measures.
Did diesel go up too?
Yes. The excise change applies to both petrol and diesel, so diesel prices rise by the same amount as full-excise stock flows through. The matching 16 c/L cut to the heavy vehicle road user charge ended at the same time.
Did 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, and the rise reaches different stations on different days. 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
- Excise duty rates for fuel and petroleum products – Australian Taxation Office; the current rate table and the February/August indexation schedule
- Treasury Laws Amendment (Fuel Excise Relief No. 2) Act 2026 – the legislation ending the relief; it restores the full rate including the August indexation
- Weekly fuel price monitoring update – ACCC; the regulator’s price series through the excise period