An un-staffed Forrestfield petrol station has been named by FuelWatch as the cheapest non-membership petrol outlet in the Perth metropolitan area for 2021.

FastFuel 24/7 offered an average price for unleaded petrol (ULP) of 131.8 cents per litre (cpl) during the year with Vibe Morley coming a close second with 132.2 cpl and Liberty Calista third with 134.8 cpl. Costco at Perth Airport is on top of the cheapest list, as it was last year, with 127.2 cpl but an annual membership fee is required.

FastFuel 24/7 has previously been the cheapest site in 2018 and 2019 and runner up in 2017 and 2020 (Costco aside). It is among the many independent retailers that dominate the top ten cheapest list. Ampol service stations dominated the most expensive list.

This year saw all-time record high petrol prices at the bowser with a metro ULP average of 182.4 cpl recorded on 3 and 17 November and a single site price of 196.9 cpl at Better Choice Stratton on 3 November. In stark contrast, a year earlier the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in petrol prices crashing below a dollar a litre with the lowest daily average of 86.3 cpl recorded on 28 April 2020.

The average ULP price for 2021 was 145.3 cpl, compared to 119 cpl in 2020, with 2013 (146.1 cpl) and 2014 (147.6 cpl) recording higher annual averages.

Commissioner for Consumer Protection Gary Newcombe said it has been a challenging year for motorists battling a volatile international and local fuel market.

“Apart from the record high fuel prices this year, Perth motorists had to contend with a shift in the price cycle from weekly to fortnightly, making it even more difficult to save money on what is a major expense in the family budget,” Mr Newcombe said.

“It is commendable that FastFuel 24/7 in Forrestfield not only consistently offered the cheapest prices throughout much of the year, but did it without taking part in the petrol price cycle.

“From January to mid-November, Perth ULP prices rose by a whopping 41 per cent due to increases in international prices as the world began to open up after COVID-19 lockdowns and fuel supply struggled to meet the growth in demand.

“In the last eight weeks, however, international prices have trended downwards with outbreaks of COVID-19 and the emergence of the Omicron variant forcing further lockdowns and travel restrictions. This has resulted in local fuel prices falling.

“It’s also expected the fortnightly price cycle will continue over the Christmas/New Year period with the next hike due on Wednesday 29 December, so motorists are advised to fill up this Monday or Tuesday when prices will be at their lowest.”

In October 2021, a new FuelWatch website featuring an interactive map was launched and this coincided with a peak usage of 1.4 million visits for that month, the average being about one million monthly visits.

“As metropolitan ULP prices can range up to 35 cents per litre on any given day, motorists filling up a 60-litre tank can save up to $21 by rewarding the cheapest petrol retailer with their business instead of the most expensive. This equates to potential savings of more than $1,000 per year when filling up on a weekly basis,” the Commissioner added.

“So it makes good sense for WA motorists to utilise the free FuelWatch service to save money on fuel.”

Fuel price information is available at www.fuelwatch.wa.gov.au and, after 2.30pm each day, motorists can compare both today’s and tomorrow’s prices. Email alerts can also be sent out daily or motorists can call 1300 30 40 54.

Cheapest ULP retailers in Perth metro area for 2021:

*Membership required

Cheapest ULP retailers in Perth metro area for 2021 (by region):

*Membership required

Most expensive ULP retailers in Perth metro area for 2021:

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Media Contact: Alan Hynd, (08) 6552 9248 / 0429 078 791 / alan.hynd@demirs.wa.gov.au