Motorists are paying up to R103.20 more to fill up their tanks with petrol than they were five months ago.
South Africa experienced four fuel hikes between November 2024 and February 2025, which have raised the price at the pump by a considerable amount.
This string of hikes thankfully came to an end this March, though things are not much better than they were in February, as prices effectively stayed the same with only a paltry 7c per litre drop for both grades of petrol.
Then vs now
Prior to the latest round of price increases, road users were paying R21.05 per litre for petrol 95, based on the inland rates for October 2024.
Over the next four months, the cost of fuel rose quite dramatically, as shown below:
- November – 25c per litre increase
- December – 17c per litre increase
- January – 12c per litre increase
- February – 82c per litre increase
Altogether, the hikes added another R1.36 to the price customers see at the pumps.
While this trend was broken in March, the 7c per litre savings only amount a 5.1% reduction to the added amount that consumers are now paying after the increases.
The following table shows how much it cost to fill up different tank sizes back in October 2024, compared to what it does now:
| Tank size | Cost to refill in October 2024 (R21.05) | Cost to refill in March 2025 (R22.34) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 litres | R631.50 | R670.20 | R38.70 |
| 40 litres | R842 | R893.60 | R51.60 |
| 50 litres | R1,052.50 | R1,117 | R64.50 |
| 60 litres | R1,263 | R1,340.40 | R77.40 |
| 70 litres | R1,473.50 | R1,563.80 | R90.30 |
| 80 litres | R1,684 | R1,787.20 | R103.20 |
Less than half a year later, and motorists are already spending up to R103 more on petrol, assuming they drive a large bakkie or SUV.
Even if you drive a small hatchback, you’re paying close to R40 more for top-ups than you were a few months prior.
The reality of the situation is that the 7c per litre cut experienced in March is less of an actual price reduction, and more a case of South Africa dodging a bullet with another increase, as was the expectation from economists.
The Central Energy Fund previously estimated that petrol would go up by another 26c as a result of fluctuating international oil rates.
While this turned out to be the case with the cost of Brent crude oil going up, the rand managed to appreciate against the US dollar over the same period, effective mitigating the increased cost of importing the fuel.
The rand traded for an average of R18.5047/dollar between 31 January and 27 February, compared to R18.7343/dollar during the previous month.
Unfortunately, it’s possible that prices will go up again in the near future owing to one major factor – fuel taxes.
The General Fuel Levy (GFL) and Road Accident Fund (RAF) Levy currently add R3.84 and R2.18 to the final price of fuel, respectively, and both of these taxes have been unadjusted since 2021 as part of a consumer relief measure.
In the now-postponed 2025 National Budget Speech, it was revealed that the RAF levy was once again frozen, but this could still change with the revised budget plan that will be announced on 12 March.
In fact, an increase is more likely now given the backlash the government faced over a proposal to increase VAT to 17%, which means it may be looking to other avenues to increase revenue.
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