Australia Fuel Cost Calculator

Petrol prices in Australia vary by state and city, typically AUD $1.60-2.20/litre for unleaded 91 in early 2025. Premium 95 is usually 10-15 cents higher; diesel another 5-15 cents. Rural and regional areas often pay 10-30 cents/litre more than capital cities due to logistics. Sydney and Melbourne typically have the highest prices among capitals; Brisbane and Perth slightly lower.

The fuel excise (federal tax) is currently 50.6 cents/litre on petrol and diesel. GST 10% applies on top of the pre-tax price (including excise). So roughly 65-75 cents/litre of every fuel purchase is government tax. Excise is indexed twice yearly to CPI.

Per-100km fuel cost = (fuel consumption L/100km × price per litre). A typical petrol sedan at 7.5 L/100km at $2/litre = $15 per 100km. A 4WD at 12 L/100km at the same price = $24 per 100km. Annual fuel cost for a 15,000 km/year driver: $2,250 for the sedan, $3,600 for the 4WD.

Diesel vehicles often advertise lower L/100km but diesel is more expensive per litre. The break-even depends on annual mileage - high-km drivers benefit from diesel; commuters may not. Plug-in hybrids and EVs can dramatically cut fuel costs at home charging rates ($0.20-0.30/kWh) - approximately $0.04-0.06 per km for an EV vs $0.15-0.25 for petrol.

Manufacturers' fuel consumption ratings (combined cycle) underestimate real-world consumption by 10-25% on average. City traffic, hills, headwinds, AC use, roof racks, towing - all increase consumption. Track real consumption: divide litres pumped by km driven since last fill (the trip computer is often optimistic).

Tyre pressure: under-inflated tyres can cut fuel economy by 3-5%. Aggressive driving (hard acceleration, late braking) cuts economy by 15-30%. Cold-start city trips have worst MPG; long highway runs at steady speed have best. The [Australia Income Tax Calculator](/australia-income-tax-calculator) covers vehicle expense deductions for work purposes.

Cents-per-km method: claim 88 cents/km in 2024-25 for up to 5,000 work kilometres without a logbook. Logbook method: claim actual percentage of vehicle expenses based on 12-week logbook for any work kilometres. Work commute (home to office) doesn't count; client visits, between-jobs travel, work trips do.

Salary-packaged vehicles (novated lease) have separate FBT and tax rules. The tax savings depend on how the lease is structured (operating cost vs statutory method) and your tax bracket. Novated lease packages tend to favour higher-income earners with predictable annual mileage.