Days of cover, pump and wholesale prices, supply health, import routes and the excise countdown, drawn from government and market feeds. Every figure here is sourced and checkable.
Supply is tight but holding. Filling up as you normally would keeps reserves stable; topping up early is what tips a tight market into shortage.
The national petrol and diesel averages, how they have moved, and where today sits against the pre-crisis baseline.
| Period | Petrol c/L | Diesel c/L |
|---|---|---|
| Now | 197.9 | 238.7 |
| 1 week ago | 188.1 | 227.7 |
| 1 month ago | 170.8 | 193.2 |
| Pre-crisis (Feb 2026) | 171.0 | 180.2 |
What the national pump price has been doing lately, and which way the wholesale market suggests it heads next.
The full fuel excise rate resumes on Monday 3 August, lifting pump prices by about 18.81 c/L. Filling up before then avoids that step.
National retail petrol moved from 170.7 to 197.6 cents per litre over 19 daily readings, 5.7 per cent above last week. The chart is drawn on a 170 to 200 cents per litre scale in 5 cent gridlines, not from zero. The series starts on 14 July 2026, when the population-weighted median methodology began. The rising-or-falling verdict is computed from the wholesale and Brent crude series, which lead pump prices by one to two weeks, with the excise steps normalised out so the tax change cannot fake a trend. A scheduled excise increase of about 18.81 cents per litre takes effect on 3 Aug, marked beyond the right edge of the data window.
Source: State government fuel price feeds, population-weighted national retail ULP medianUpdated 1 August 2026Series begins 14 July 2026, when the current median methodology beganScale 170 to 200 c/L, not from zeroHow we measure this
The relief was extended at half the original discount through 2 August 2026. The full excise rate resumes on 3 August 2026, lifting the pump price by about 18.8 c/L. Filling up before Monday 3 August avoids that step - about $12.23 on a 65 L tank. This is a scheduled tax change, not a supply shortage; fuel supply is not affected.
A single composite of six inputs, placed on a five-band scale from secure to critical, with the inputs it weighs shown alongside.
Supply health 50 out of 100, in the Tight band, band 3 of 5 from Critical to Secure.
Shipping diversions, export curbs and refinery recovery are shaping supply.
Thresholds on the methodology pageNational days of cover for each fuel, shown against the per-importer Minimum Stockholding Obligation. The tick marks that obligation level; the bar shows how national cover compares.
Petrol: 43 days of cover, 16 days above the 27-day importer MSO obligation, level on the week. Diesel: 39 days of cover, 7 days above the 32-day importer MSO obligation, up 2.6% on the week. Jet fuel: 34 days of cover, 7 days above the 27-day importer MSO obligation, up 6.3% on the week.
Watch: jet fuel cover rose 6.3% on the week, still 7 days above the importer MSO obligation.
The MSO is a per-importer holding obligation, not a national floor, and is currently under temporary relief to 30 September 2026. How cover and the MSO compare.
Most of Australia's fuel is imported. Where it comes from, and the sea lanes it has to travel to get here.
About 77% of the refined fuel Australia burns is imported as finished product, and counting the imported crude that domestic refineries run on, overall import dependence is about 90%. Shares below are the 2026 crisis-era, against the FY2024-25 DCCEEW baseline.
Cargoes reach Australia through a handful of maritime chokepoints. When one closes, flows reroute and freight costs climb.
| Source | Current share | Baseline share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 32% | 22% | +10 percentage points |
| Singapore | 23% | 28% | -5 percentage points |
| Malaysia | 23% | 6% | +17 percentage points |
| Others | 22% | 44% | -22 percentage points |
Practical ways to pay less at the pump, matched to current prices.
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