Fuel prices in Sydney

Unleaded every day for a year

See the saw teeth? Each sharp rise is the start of a new cycle. The low point just before it is the time to fill up.

Cents a litre: the average across stations of each one's price at noon.

How to catch the low

• Watch for the slide. After a jump, prices drift down a little each day. The longer they've been falling, the closer the next jump is.
• Fill up before the jump, not after. When a few stations near you suddenly cost 10c or more extra, the rest usually follow within days. Fill up at one that hasn't gone up yet.
• Top up when it's low. If prices are near the bottom and your tank is half full, fill it anyway. You'll skip paying the top price next week.

Over the year to September 2026, Sydney went through 6 regular cycles. A typical one lasted 37 days, and prices rose 28c from the low to the high. Within each cycle, the days within 3c of its lowest price were 17.3c a litre cheaper than its average day. On 1,300 litres a year, that's the saving above. The big rise that began in February 2026 came from the cost of fuel itself, not the cycle, so we left it out.

The cheapest day of the week

In Sydney, the day of the week hardly matters. The gap between the cheapest and dearest day is only 0.4c a litre. Where you are in the cycle matters far more.

How far each day's price sits above or below the average for its own week, over the year to September 2026.

Same fuel, different brand

Over the year, U-Go stations in Sydney charged 9.9c a litre less than the city average. EG Ampol charged 4.4c more. On a 50-litre tank, that gap is $7.16.

Brands with at least 8 stations in Sydney, averaged over the same months. A brand's stations aren't spread evenly, so part of a gap can be where they are.

Sydney against the rest of NSW

Unleaded cost 2.9c a litre more in the rest of NSW than in Sydney. On a 50-litre tank, that's $1.44.

Averages over the year to September 2026. Sydney means the whole city area the Australian Bureau of Statistics draws.

Unleaded by council area

The average price over the year in each council area with stations, against the NSW average.

Unleaded in Sydney since 2016

A litre cost 116c in September 2016 and 222c in September 2026.

Monthly averages, in the cents of the day (not adjusted for inflation).

Look further

• What your car costs to run: your fuel bill for a year in Sydney or your council area.
• Fuel prices in Canberra
• Fuel prices in Brisbane
• Fuel prices in Perth
• Fuel prices in Darwin
• Your area: rent, pokies losses and crime in your council.