The second quarter of 2015 saw the average price of retail unleaded petrol (ULP) rise according to data obtained by petrol price monitoring service, MotorMouth.
MotorMouth collects data from approximately 1200 service stations on a daily basis using the following methods:
- electronically, twice a day from Major Fuel Retailers
- manually, collected by our drivers
- for Perth, data is sourced from WA FuelWatch
- direct from service station site operators, who can input their prices online
The National ULP Average for Q2 was 136.6cpl which equated to a 10.8% quarterly increase from the first quarter (123.4cpl). Interestingly the cost of crude oil (Dated Brent)/barrel increased by approximately 16% over the same period, and the Australian Exchange Rate weakened.
Looking more closely at the five major centres you will see some variations between each city.
During Q2:
Adelaide experienced four complete price cycles, with the highest daily ULP average reaching 149.2cpl and the lowest daily ULP average at 118.3cpl.
Brisbane saw three complete price cycles, with the highest daily ULP average reaching 149.4cpl and a lowest daily ULP average of 129.6cpl.
Melbourne noticed three complete price cycles, with the highest daily ULP average touching 149.0cpl and a lowest daily ULP average of 122.2cpl.
Sydney underwent five complete price cycles (as prices started to lift again on 1 July). The highest daily ULP average was 147.8cpl and the lowest daily ULP average was 122.8cpl.
Perth showed thirteen price cycles and was fairly consistent with Wednesday regularly the ‘cheapest’ day of the week. However, June has seen this trend change with Monday the ‘cheapest’ day throughout June and into July. The highest daily ULP average was 145.3cpl and the lowest daily ULP average was 123.4cpl.
It is good to remember that while savings can be made on any given day by knowing where to buy, the biggest savings will always be through knowing when to buy… a great way to understand this is by using the MotorMouth Smartphone App. Be sure to access the Buy Below section to see the price history chart for most cities Australia wide.