Frequently Asked Questions

Petrolmate updates fuel prices multiple times daily from official government sources. Morning syncs run at 6:00 AM AEDT for NSW, VIC, SA, TAS, and PetrolSpy sources, with QLD at 6:15 AM and NT at 6:30 AM. Midday syncs run at 12:00 PM for the same sources. WA prices update at 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM AEDT. This ensures you always see current petrol prices with data typically less than 6 hours old across all 11,500+ stations.

Petrolmate sources data from 11 official and verified sources: NSW FuelCheck (government API), QLD Official API (government), SA Official API (government), VIC Fair Fuel (government), WA FuelWatch (government), NT MyFuel (government), TAS FuelCheck (government), and PetrolSpy community data for Australia, New Zealand, and VIC Metro/Regional areas. All data is verified and updated multiple times daily to ensure accuracy and reliability.

Yes, Petrolmate is 100% free to use. There is no subscription required, no registration needed, and no hidden fees. You can compare fuel prices across 11,500+ service stations in Australia and New Zealand completely free, forever. Our service is funded by voluntary donations and we never charge users for access to fuel price data.

Petrolmate tracks all major fuel types available in Australia and New Zealand: Unleaded Petrol (ULP/91), Premium Unleaded 95 (PULP95), Premium Unleaded 98 (PULP98), E10 Ethanol Blend, Diesel, Premium Diesel, and LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas). Availability varies by station and region. You can filter by fuel type on any city or station page to compare prices for your specific needs.

Petrolmate covers ALL Australian states and territories: New South Wales (3,000+ stations), Queensland (1,700+ stations), South Australia (700+ stations), Victoria (1,300+ stations), Western Australia (400+ stations), Northern Territory (200+ stations), Tasmania (150+ stations), and Australian Capital Territory (via PetrolSpy). We also cover New Zealand with data from PetrolSpy NZ. Major cities include Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Darwin, Canberra, Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, plus thousands of regional towns and suburbs.

Petrolmate's fuel prices are highly accurate because we source directly from official government APIs that receive legally mandated price reports from service stations. In NSW, QLD, SA, VIC, WA, NT, and TAS, stations are required by law to report price changes, ensuring accuracy. Prices are typically updated within 6 hours of being reported. Community-sourced PetrolSpy data is verified through multiple submissions. Each price shows its timestamp so you can see exactly how recent the data is.

Currently, Petrolmate displays data from official government sources and verified community platforms (PetrolSpy). We do not have a direct price submission feature yet, but it's on our roadmap. If you notice incorrect prices, they will automatically update during our next sync (within 6-12 hours). For urgent corrections, you can report price changes to the official government apps in your state (NSW FuelCheck, WA FuelWatch, etc.) and they will flow through to Petrolmate in the next sync.

To find the cheapest fuel near you on Petrolmate: 1) Visit the homepage and use the search bar to find your city or suburb, 2) Or click on your state from the navigation menu, 3) Filter by your preferred fuel type (Unleaded, Diesel, E10, etc.), 4) Sort prices from lowest to highest, 5) Check the price timestamp to ensure it's current, 6) Click on a station name to see its location and full price list. The map view shows all nearby stations with color-coded prices to help you quickly identify the cheapest options in your area.

Unleaded Petrol (ULP/91 octane) is standard petrol suitable for most vehicles. E10 (94 octane) is unleaded petrol blended with 10% ethanol - it's usually cheaper but delivers slightly less fuel economy and isn't suitable for all vehicles (check your manual). Premium Unleaded 95 (PULP95) has higher octane for better performance in some engines. Premium Unleaded 98 (PULP98) is the highest octane petrol, recommended for high-performance and luxury vehicles. Diesel is a different fuel type used in diesel engines. LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) is an alternative fuel, cheapest per litre but less fuel-efficient. Always check your vehicle's manual for the recommended fuel type.

Petrolmate is currently a mobile-optimized web application accessible from any smartphone browser at petrolmate.com.au. Our website is fully responsive and works excellently on iOS and Android devices with features like location-based search, interactive maps, and real-time price updates. A dedicated iOS and Android app is on our development roadmap for 2025. In the meantime, you can add Petrolmate to your phone's home screen for quick app-like access: on iOS, tap Share > Add to Home Screen; on Android, tap Menu > Add to Home Screen.

Fuel prices vary between stations due to several factors: 1) Location costs - stations in expensive areas have higher rent and wages, 2) Competition - areas with many stations have lower prices, 3) Price cycles - stations follow weekly price cycles, raising and lowering prices at different times, 4) Brand premium - major brands (Shell, BP, Caltex) often charge more than independent stations, 5) Convenience - stations on highways or near major roads charge premium prices, 6) Volume - high-volume stations can offer lower prices. In major cities like Sydney and Melbourne, you can see differences of 20-40 cents per litre between the cheapest and most expensive stations on the same day.

Fuel price cycles are predictable patterns where petrol prices rise and fall over 1-4 weeks. In Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth, prices typically: 1) Drop sharply to a low (best time to fill up), 2) Stay low for 1-3 days, 3) Gradually rise over 1-2 weeks to a peak, 4) Drop sharply again and repeat. To save money: Fill up when prices are at the bottom of the cycle (check our city pages for current trends), avoid filling up when prices are rising, and use Petrolmate's price comparison to find stations that break the cycle. Sydney's cycle typically runs 4-5 weeks, while other cities vary. Monitoring Petrolmate daily helps you identify the cycle bottom.

By using Petrolmate to find the cheapest fuel, an average Australian household can save $500-$1,500 per year. Here's how: If you drive 15,000 km/year in a car that uses 8L/100km, you'll buy about 1,200 litres of fuel annually. With price differences of 20-40 cents per litre between the cheapest and most expensive stations, you could save $240-$480 per year just by choosing the right station. Add another $200-$500 by filling up at the bottom of price cycles instead of the peak. For families with multiple vehicles or higher mileage, savings easily exceed $1,000/year. Use Petrolmate before every fill to maximize your savings.

Yes! Petrolmate displays 7-day price trend charts on every city and station page. These interactive charts show how prices have changed over the past week, helping you identify if prices are at the bottom of the cycle (time to fill up) or rising (wait if possible). Historical data helps you understand local price patterns and make informed decisions about when to refuel. We're working on extending historical data to 30-day and 90-day views in future updates.

Petrolmate is a community-focused service that operates on a donation-supported model. We don't charge users because we believe everyone deserves access to accurate fuel price information to save money. The service is maintained by a small team who cover server costs and development time. We may introduce optional features like advanced analytics or business tools in the future, but the core fuel price comparison will always remain free for all Australians and New Zealanders.

If you find an incorrect price on Petrolmate: 1) Check the price timestamp - it may have changed since our last update (we sync every 6-12 hours), 2) Prices automatically update in the next sync, so incorrect data is typically corrected within 6-12 hours, 3) For government-source states (NSW, QLD, SA, VIC, WA, NT, TAS), stations are legally required to report accurate prices, so errors are rare, 4) If you believe there's a persistent error, you can report it through your state's official app (NSW FuelCheck, WA FuelWatch, etc.) and it will flow through to Petrolmate in the next sync. We're working on adding a direct price correction feature to Petrolmate.

Yes, Petrolmate tracks diesel prices at thousands of stations across Australia and New Zealand. Diesel is one of our core fuel types alongside Unleaded, E10, Premium 95, Premium 98, Premium Diesel, and LPG. You can filter for diesel-only prices on any city or suburb page, compare diesel prices between stations, and view 7-day diesel price trends. Diesel prices are updated multiple times daily from the same government sources as petrol prices, ensuring accuracy and timeliness for commercial drivers, tradies, and diesel vehicle owners.

Yes! Petrolmate allows easy comparison across cities and states. From the homepage, you can search for any city (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, etc.) and view current average prices and price ranges. Our state pages show aggregated data across all cities in that state. For example, you can compare Sydney's average petrol price against Melbourne or see which regional Queensland city has the cheapest diesel. The blog also publishes daily analysis comparing price movements across major cities. This helps you understand regional price differences and see where fuel is cheapest in Australia.

Petrolmate respects your privacy. We use Google Analytics to understand how users interact with our site (pages viewed, time spent, general location at city level) to improve our service. We use Microsoft Clarity for session recordings to identify usability issues. We do NOT collect personal identifying information, require accounts, track individual users, sell data to third parties, or use invasive tracking. No registration means no email addresses, phone numbers, or personal data stored. Your searches and location queries are not stored or linked to you personally. You can use Petrolmate completely anonymously.

You can contact Petrolmate support by emailing [email protected]. We typically respond within 24-48 hours. For general questions, this FAQ page covers most common inquiries. For technical issues, please include details about your device (iOS/Android/Desktop), browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox), and a description of the problem. For feature requests or suggestions, we love hearing from users - your feedback helps us improve Petrolmate for everyone. You can also follow our blog for updates, new features, and fuel-saving tips.