Adelaide's Southern Suburbs Settle at 236.9 for Unleaded While Marion Independents Sit 12 Cents Lower
Unleaded pricing across Adelaide at 12:13pm AEST on 27th Sep 2026 shows the southern suburbs settled almost uniformly on one number, while a handful of independent servos a short drive north are holding well under it.
The southern wall at 236.9
Of the 15 servos within five kilometres of Morphett Vale, 11 are showing unleaded at exactly 236.9 cents a litre. That group covers three OTR sites in Christies Beach, OTR Old Reynella, Caltex Reynella, Caltex and EG Ampol at Noarlunga Centre, the Ampol Foodary sites at Woodcroft and Noarlunga Downs, and the BP branded X Convenience in Christies Beach. The two OTR sites on Main South Road at Morphett Vale sit a little lower at 233.9.
The area average comes to 235.4 cents, and only two servos in the sample are meaningfully cheaper. Leroy's Hackham in Huntfield Heights is at 227.5, and X Convenience Lonsdale is at 229.5. On a 60 litre tank, filling at Leroy's rather than one of the 236.9 sites saves $5.64.
How prices got here
The daily records show a staircase built over two weeks rather than one sudden jump.
OTR Christies Beach on Dyson Road was selling unleaded at 213.9 on 13th and 14th Sep. It lifted to 227.9 on the 16th, then added a cent or two almost every night: 231.9, 232.9, 233.9, 234.9 and 236.9 by the 21st. It touched 237.9 midweek before settling back to 236.9 on Friday.
Caltex Reynella went from 209.9 on 13th Sep to 236.9 today, a lift of 27 cents in a fortnight. The OTR sites at Morphett Vale and Marion show the same nightly one and two cent steps. That pattern fits a coordinated chain pricing strategy better than a response to any single wholesale movement.
The independents moved too, but by less. X Convenience Lonsdale reached 235.9 on 22nd Sep, cut back to 229.5 two days later and has held there since. Leroy's Hackham peaked around 232.9 and has now eased to 227.5.
Marion and the inner south west
Closer to the city the picture is more varied. The 26 servos within five kilometres of Marion average 232.3 cents, with a spread from 224.3 to 236.9.
The cheapest boards belong to independents and smaller chains. United Petroleum at Melrose Park and Liberty at Clarence Gardens are both at 224.3. U Go St Marys is at 224.9, and Solo Marion and X Convenience Panorama are both at 225.5.
Those sites rose over the same fortnight, but from a lower base and by a smaller margin. United Melrose Park and Liberty Clarence Gardens were both at 201.5 on 14th Sep, so they have lifted about 23 cents. Solo Marion went from 209.5 to 225.5, up 16 cents. The majors in the area, including OTR Marion at 234.9 and Caltex Darlington at 236.9, finished roughly 10 to 12 cents higher.
The northern suburbs
The northern corridor follows the same pattern. Around Salisbury, 30 servos average 233.3 cents. U Go and X Convenience at Salisbury Downs are both at 224.9, while OTR Paralowie and several Burton sites are at 236.9, a 12 cent gap within a few kilometres.
Further north around Elizabeth, prices are bunched more tightly between 229.9 and 234.9, and Leroy's Munno Para is the cheapest at 229.9.
Diesel context
On the latest figures, South Australia diesel is averaging 292.1 cents across 366 stations, the highest of any mainland state. Only the ACT sits higher. Drivers of diesel utes and SUVs can compare current diesel prices across the state before committing to a fill.
What it means for motorists
In the southern suburbs the chains have converged on a single price, and the savings sit with a small number of independents. Across the whole metro area, the gap between the chain price and the cheapest independent is consistently around 12 cents a litre, or about $7 on a 60 litre tank.
Adelaide's price cycle tends to reset with a sharp fall once the chains decide to discount, and after a two week climb that reset may not be far off. Motorists can check our guide on the best time to fill up and compare live unleaded petrol prices before heading out.
For motorists willing to shop around, location is the biggest factor at the bowser this week, and it is worth around 12 cents a litre.
