Darwin Unleaded Splits as All 11 United Servos Lift and 31 Rivals Hold Their Price

Darwin Unleaded Splits as All 11 United Servos Lift and 31 Rivals Hold Their Price

Motorists in Darwin have an advantage that drivers in the eastern capitals do not: they can read tomorrow's price board today. Under the NT 24 hour price lock, Territory retailers lodge their next price with the government's MyFuel NT scheme ahead of a single daily changeover at 2:30pm ACST, then hold it for a full day.

The prices lodged for the window opening at 2:30pm ACST on Sunday 20th Sep 2026 show the greater Darwin unleaded market splitting in two.

What the lodged prices show

Petrolmate tracks 48 servos selling unleaded between the Darwin CBD and Noonamah. Heading into the changeover they averaged 241.8 cents a litre and sat inside a 10.4 cent band, from 235.5 to 245.9.

From 2:30pm, 17 of those sites lift, 31 hold and none come down. The average moves to 243.6 and the band widens to 13 cents, from 236.9 to 249.9.

Most of the 17 belong to one chain. All 11 United Petroleum sites in the region lift, by between 5 and 9 cents. United in Parap goes from 238.5 to 246.9 and United Winnellie Roadhouse from 239.9 to 248.9, while United in Humpty Doo becomes the dearest board in the region at 249.9. As a group, United moves from an average of 240.9, about a cent under the Darwin field, to 247.4, almost 4 cents over it.

BP in Holtze, which had been the cheapest unleaded in greater Darwin at 235.5, lifts 10 cents to 245.5. Five EG Ampol sites add 1 to 2 cents, which puts all seven of that chain's Darwin servos on exactly 243.9.

Who is holding

For the next 24 hours the value sits with the sites that are not moving. Ausfuel in Virginia stays at 236.9 and becomes the cheapest site in the region. Solo in Stuart Park and Solo in Casuarina hold at 238.5, with Fuelxpress in Winnellie alongside them, and Fuelxpress in Palmerston holds at 239.5. Five more stay at 239.9: the Ampol Foodary sites at Berrimah, Eaton and Yarrawonga, BP Darwin Truckstop at Wishart and Shell Reddy Express Darwin City on Daly Street.

That leaves 10 servos under 240 cents, down from 17 before the changeover.

The week behind the move

The daily records point to United extending a week long climb rather than starting a new one. United Parap was at 217.5 cents on 13th Sep 2026, 229.5 on the 17th and 238.5 by the 19th. At 246.9 it will be 29.4 cents dearer than it was a week ago. BP Holtze was still at 216.5 on 14th Sep 2026, so its new price is a 29 cent increase in six days.

Not every retailer is still climbing. Shell Reddy Express Darwin City reached 241.9 on 19th Sep 2026, eased 2 cents at yesterday's changeover and now holds at 239.9. S24 in Humpty Doo holds 245.9 for a third straight day.

Katherine and Alice Springs

Katherine, about 320 kilometres down the Stuart Highway, remains cheaper than the capital. Its 10 sites open to the public averaged 239.6 before the changeover. The three United sites there lift by 6 to 9 cents, which leaves Liberty Katherine alone at the bottom of the board on 237.9 and moves the town average to 242.0, still 1.6 cents under Darwin.

Alice Springs is a different market. Eight of its 14 servos hold at exactly 257.9, United Heavitree Gap lifts 6 cents to 263.9, and the town average of 257.5 sits about 14 cents above Darwin.

Diesel follows the same script

Diesel prices across 50 Darwin sites averaged 290.4 before the changeover. That is well under the Northern Territory wide average of 310.3, a figure that takes in remote roadhouses charging as much as 440.0. Among the cheapest Darwin sites, United Parap lifts 11.4 cents to 296.9 and BP Holtze lifts 15 cents to 295.5. Ausfuel Virginia holds at 283.9, while both Solo sites and Fuelxpress Winnellie hold at 285.5.

What it means at the bowser

On a 50 litre fill, the gap between the cheapest and dearest unleaded petrol prices in greater Darwin over the next 24 hours is $6.50. Every price quoted here is locked until 2:30pm ACST on Monday 21st Sep 2026, when the next set of lodged prices takes effect.

For motorists willing to shop around, the lodged prices show exactly which boards change at 2:30pm and which do not, so there is very little left to guess at.

Location and timing remain the two levers that matter in fuel savings. In Darwin this week the lock looks after the timing, and location is worth up to 13 cents a litre.