Petrol apps sweeping the nation just in time for Christmas price hikes
The cost of filling up at the bowser just got even more expensive with the Christmas Grinch revealing its ugly head this week to announce that petrol prices are set to rise just in time for Christmas.
The Australian Newspaper reports that petrol prices are predicted to hit as high as $1.401 a litre over the Christmas period.
If only we all had magical reindeer to slug our sleighs this coming holiday season, hey?
What’s more, NAB analysts have forecast that petrol prices will surge beyond the summer months and remain high well into 2018.
So what is the catalyst behind this end of year fuel inflation? A global oil price surge, to put it in layman’s terms.
And, for the time being at least, Aussie car owners have to wear it.
There is some hope on the horizon though, with the ACCC’s report that more and more Australian motorists are turning to cost saving Petrol price apps to cut back their fuel expenses.
Some states still do not have real-time reporting but we think it’s only a matter of time until this phenomenon sweeps the nation.
According to ACCC analysts, real-time fuel price apps – which tell you where the find the cheapest petrol every 15 minutes – can save millions of dollars for car owners right across the country.
ACCC analysis released last week reveals that if Sydney motorists skipped buying E10 on the six days around the price cycle peaks in the last six months, they would have saved 2.6 cents per litre.
That might not sound like a lot on the surface, but when you crunch the sums over a 12-month period that equates to an overall saving for Sydney motorists of $85 million dollars in a calendar year.
In comparison, Melbourne drivers could have saved $75 million, Brisbane drivers $40 million and Adelaide drivers $30 million by avoiding the peak of the price cycle.
If you haven’t done so already, check out these handy petrol price websites and apps and keep pushing for them to roll out across Australia.
ACCC WEBSITE
https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/petrol-diesel-lpg/petrol-price-cycles
- Tells you whether now is the right time to fill up, or wait for prices to drop.
- It’s a website only so you can’t do a simple check with an app on your phone – but you can always bookmark it and save it on your desktop.
- It only updates 3 times a week.
- It does not cover regional areas.
STATE GOVT FUEL APPS
https://www.fuelcheck.nsw.gov.au/app
PROS:
- User friendly and offers the choice of 11 different fuel types across all brands.
- Provides up to the minute information and data as well as fuel price history.
- Allows you to compare fuel pieces and also predicts price trends.
CONS:
- Only offered in both NSW and NT at present.
MOTORMOUTH
https://motormouth.com.au/mobile-app.html
PROS:
- The most comprehensive app in most states for petrol prices
- Provides easy to follow video tutorials explaining how best to use the app for newbies
- Offers reward credits for imputing accurate fuel prices
- Covers both metro and regional areas allowing you to compare average prices country wide
- Reports prices for around 4,500 Australian service stations each day
CONS:
- Mainly focuses on unleaded, diesel, e10 fuel
PETROL SPY
https://petrolspy.com.au/map/latlng/-33.88632444864054/151.23052644265704
PROS:
- Allows you to search user-reported petrol prices in the major cities of Australia
- Uses Fuel Watch prices for Western Australia
- Offers users the chance to win a $25 fuel card each day
CONS:
- Not as user friendly as other apps and reach is limited to metro areas
- Offers fuel price cycle graphs for just Unleaded and E10
- Provides info on a limited number of brands only
