Official petrol price increases for October announced

The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) has announced the official fuel price adjustments for October 2026.

Unfortunately, both petrol and diesel will see a massive increase this month, pushing the price of both fuels past R30 per litre.

September proved to be a volatile month for oil prices, with Brent Crude soaring from $86 per barrel in late August to a peak of $108 per barrel in mid-September.

Prices continued to fluctuate in the second half of the month, ultimately ending at just over $100 per barrel by 30 September.

The rand also weakened against the US dollar, climbing from just over R16 per USD to R16.7 per USD over the course of September.

Because of this, petrol is now set to be hiked by up to R3.33 per litre this week, while diesel users are facing increases of up to R3.58 per litre.

These are the official fuel price adjustments for South Africa for October 2026:

• Petrol 93 – Increase of R3.12 per litre
• Petrol 95 – Increase of R3.33 per litre
• Diesel 0.05% (wholesale) – Increase of R2.84 per litre
• Diesel 0.005% (wholesale) – Increase of R3.58 per litre

In line with the provisions of the Self-Adjusting Slate Levy Mechanism, a Slate Levy of 87.66 c/l will be implemented into the price structures of petrol and diesel this month.

What you’re paying this October

The new fuel price adjustments will take effect on Wednesday, 7 October 2026.

According to the DMPR, Brent Crude oil prices increased from $87 to $101 during the period under review due to the continued US/Iran tensions and uncertainties about the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz.

This led to a higher contribution to the Basic Fuel Price (BFP) for petrol and diesel of 329.07c and 280.17c per litre, respectively.

The rand, meanwhile, traded at an average of R16.21 per USD during the period under review, resulting in a lower contribution to the BFP for petrol and diesel of 0.171c and 0.215c per litre, respectively.

The table below indicates how the official fuel price adjustments for October will reflect at the pump: