Petrol prices

Sydney motorists have been slugged an extra $470 for petrol over the last five years compared to Melbourne drivers.

Fuel consumption claims aren't worth the label they're printed on.

At the start of February, the average weekly price of diesel was $1.26 a litre, 14c dearer than petrol. At the time of writing, petrol was roughly 2c a litre more expensive.So why the swing and what does it mean to motorists? Caltex says there is no intrinsic link between petrol and diesel, other than the fact that they are both made from crude oil.There's no reason to rush out and buy a diesel car or SUVEach has unique supply and demand curves — diesel becomes more expensive in the northern winter because it is used for heating in North Asia, while petrol prices head north when Americans do more summer driving.So the bottom line is this isn't a long-term trend and there's no reason to rush out and buy a diesel car or SUV.In fact, the way some car companies are pricing their diesel variants, you'd probably be better to steer clear because the payback period is way too long.Diesel isn't startlingly more economical than the petrolThe diesel version of Hyundai's new i30 is $25,990 drive-away, while the petrol version is just $21,990 drive-away and includes a $1000 Eftpos credit.The price discrepancy is made worse by the fact that the diesel isn't startlingly more economical than the petrol, using 4.8L/100km to the petrol's 7.3L/100km.At the average of 15,000km a year, and with both fuels at $1.30 a litre, the diesel version saves $468 a year. That means a payback of more than 10 years.Using the same formula, the 2.0-litre petrol Mazda CX-5 Maxx Sport costs $6531 less than the diesel variant but costs $136.50 a year more to fill, because it uses just 6.4L/100km to the diesel's 5.7L/100km.The payback time? About 48 years. Bottom line is if you're looking to save money by buying a diesel, forget it.It's not that simple, though — the diesel CX-5 has more power and double — yes, double — the torque of the petrol. So buy diesel if you want performance. Just don't buy it for the bottom line.

Fuel consumption is one of the things we most talk about when discussing our cars. It's a no-brainer that most of us believe they use too much fuel, particularly around town where the consumption is much higher than it is on the highway or in the country. If only we could get the same fuel economy in town as we get on

With an 50-50 average of short and long runs, my 2010 Hyundai Getz 1.4-litre auto uses in excess of 12L/100km. I don’t think this is normal. Can it be fixed?

Petrol prices have soared in the past six months but filling up on fuel remains just part of the motoring cost equation.

The Abbott Government has done a deal with Labor to increase the tax paid on petrol, in a move that will cost the average motorist about $325 more over the next four years.The pact means petrol tax will now rise in line with inflation twice a year, in February and August. It had been frozen for almost 15 years.The Government calculates a typical household using 50 litres of fuel a week would pay a "modest" 40c extra a week, but motoring groups predict it will be closer to $3 a tank.The tax rise is expected to raise an extra $23 billion over 10 years. Local councils, to benefit from $1.1 billion for roads over the next two years, said it would boost local economies and create jobs.RELATED: Petrol prices set for biggest quartlerly spike since 1990But the Australian Automobile Association yesterday slammed the move as unfair given the "enormous amount" of taxes motorists already paid."Australian motorists currently pay more than $15 billion in fuel excise every year and, over the past two decades, less than half of this money has been committed to transport funding," said its chief executive, Michael Bradley.In a high-risk move, the Government dodged a Senate blockade in November by using a regulation instead of a law to lift the fuel duty from 38.143 cents per litre to 38.6 cents per litre.However, if it had not won support from either Labor, the Greens or the Senate crossbench, it would have been forced to pay back the money collected - but to the oil companies, not motorists.Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who previously described the increase as a 'big tax on everything" and a "rotten idea", said his party had faced a "difficult" choice."In a beauty parade, between giving money to the oil companies and putting money back into Australian roads, generating jobs and confidence, it is clear which way Labor has to go," Mr Shorten said.Australian Local Government Association president Troy Pickard said the deal was welcome after councils were hit with $925 million worth of cuts by the Federal Government's Budget move to freeze the indexation of Financial Assistance Grants.

Petrol prices are on track for the biggest quarterly rise in almost 25 years.

But retailers are now beginning to line their pockets by maintaining prices at the spike of the fuel cycle for longer.The RAA's latest quarterly petrol study shows the average price for unleaded petrol in Adelaide from January to March was 116.5c a litre, compared with 117.1c a litre in Melbourne and 118.8c a litre in Sydney.In Perth - the city most similar to Adelaide in terms of population and number of service stations - the average price for unleaded petrol was 120.8c a litre, while Brisbane was the most expensive at 121.3c a litre.Motorists were rewarded with cheap fuel because of a change in Adelaide's fuel cycleThe average price for unleaded petrol in Adelaide on Monday was 134.9c a litre. It spiked at 135.9c a litre almost two weeks ago.RAA senior analyst Chris West said motorists were rewarded with cheap fuel earlier this year because of a change in Adelaide's fuel cycle, which maintained lower prices for longer.The RAA study also showed Costco Kilburn topped the list for the cheapest unleaded petrol in the metropolitan area.Mr West said the introduction of the international discount retailer had prompted strong competition from service stations in the surrounding inner northern suburbs.Mr West said smaller independent retailers had been active in undercutting prices and keeping bigger competitors honest.1. United Petroleum 2. Woolworths 3. Liberty 4. Caltex 5. Mogas6. On The Run1. Costco Kilburn - 404 Churchill Road, Kilburn 2. Caltex/Woolworths Blair Athol - 355 Prospect Road, Blair Athol 3. United Blair Athol - 355 Prospect Road, Blair Athol 4. Ezy Fuel SA Klemzig - 25 O.G. Road, Klemzig 5. Caltex/Woolworths Felixstow - 469 Payneham Road, Felixstow 6. Liberty Windsor Gardens - 386 North East Road, Windsor Gardens 7. Caltex/Woolworths Gilles Plains - 575 North East Road, Gilles Plains 8. Caltex Star Mart Campbelltown - 542 Lower North East Road, Campbelltown 9. BP On The Run Kilburn - 427 Churchill Road, Kilburn 10. Caltex/Woolworths Marryatville - 220 Kensington Road, MarryatvilleSource: RAA, MotorMouth

Sydney's average price was around $1.30 a litre yesterday when it should be around $1.10 a litre, Mr Oliver said.The inflated pump price has added about $14 to the cost of filling a typical family sedan. Mr Oliver analysed the price of crude oil and pump prices since 2000 and said there has been a major disparity in recent weeks.You can't justify current pump prices given the price of Tapis oil and the value of the Australian dollar"Based on the normal relationship between the level of the Asian Tapis oil price in Australian dollars and average Australian petrol prices, petrol prices should be running around $1.10 a litre right now."When oil prices fell earlier this year competition pushed pump prices to around $1 a litre but now it seems competition is out of the market."You can't justify current pump prices given the price of Tapis oil and the value of the Australian dollar," he said.Mr Oliver said Tapis oil prices - the benchmark for Australian prices - have fallen from around $US64 a barrel to $US55 a barrel since February but the savings had not been passed on at the pump.He said refineries were making little money when prices were around $1 a litre in January but now "have gone from one extreme to another"."I hope an independent retailer will see an opportunity to import cheaper fuel and push prices down," he said."Remember world oil prices are still 50 per cent down on what they were a year ago, but $1.30 a litre is not much off the high point pump prices were at back then."There is some good news for motorists, with several experts believing fuel prices will fall in the lead-up to Easter.