Petrol prices

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.

Petrol retailers have raised unleaded prices by 15c a litre during the long weekend.

Some prices remained significantly higher and some motorists waited significantly longer to see any benefit from the oil price drop and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission wants to know why.The ACCC announced an investigation as it released its first quarterly petrol report yesterday, revealing just how much motorists around the country have been paying for their fuel.In January Australia's major capital cities enjoyed a reduced monthly average price for unleaded fuel not seen in five years.The ACCC's investigation will aim to explain both the price differential and the delays in passing on the decreased international priceThe price of unleaded fuel dropped a total of 42.9¢/L from June 2014 to January 2015 in most capitals.But regional towns across the country continued to pay on average 12¢/L more. The report found the difference in unleaded fuel price between regional and capital cities was 5.4¢/L in June last year, and ballooned out to 17.5¢/L by December.The ACCC's investigation will aim to explain both the price differential and the delays in passing on the decreased international price.Motoring advocacy group RACQ is now calling for the ACCC to act on the findings from the report."The key question now is, what will the ACCC and the Federal Government do about it?" a spokeswoman said."This ACCC report highlights the problems RACQ has been campaigning against - regional motorists pay more than city drivers and Brisbane drivers paying more than those in the other state capitals."Petrol prices in the state's southeast increased earlier this week after a small number of service stations upped their prices to match the now-rising oil price.The average price for unleaded fuel in Brisbane yesterday was at 123.6¢/L, however prices in Melbourne were still around 118.

Australians are still getting ripped off at the petrol pump despite enjoying some of the lowest fuel prices in close to a decade.