The NRMA says motorists could be spending up to $20 extra on a tank of petrol on premium fuels and says this may be ‘unnecessary’.
E10 sales in NSW fell 15 per cent last year, despite the fact that more than 75 per cent of vehicles in NSW can run on the cheaper fuel. Sales of regular unleaded rose 12 per cent and premium fuel by four per cent for the same period.
Analysis of data collated through the NRMA app shows that the gap between the cheapest and most expensive E10 in Sydney was 18¢ per litre. By contrast, the gap in the spread of prices for regular unleaded was 19¢ per litre, 27.7¢ per litre for premium 95, and 33.9¢ per litre for premium 98.
NRMA is urging motorists buying premium fuels to shop around due to the considerable gap among prices.
“Of concern is that a lot of motorists are buying premium fuels when they don’t need to, but even more alarming is that they could be spending upwards of 34¢ a litre on a tank of petrol more than they should,” NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said.
“If you own a car built before 1986 or a high-performance vehicle that requires the 95 or 98 levels of octane to feed your engine, then, for goodness’ sake, shop around – at one point last week the gap between the cheapest and most expensive premium 95 in Sydney was 47¢ per litre.
“The reality is most vehicles don’t need the more expensive fuel. Most vehicles can run on E10 without causing any damage to the engine or performance issues.”
