Motorists are paying up to R428 more to fill up their cars than they were at the start of the year.
While South Africa got off to a great start in 2026 with its lowest petrol price in four years, the year has been plagued by multiple price hikes that caused fuel prices to reach a new record high.
Prices have thankfully dropped since the start of July, but motorists are still paying substantially more than they were a few months ago.
A bumpy year for petrol prices
The new year started off with a 62c per litre reduction, causing the price of petrol 95 to drop to R20.75 per litre at inland rates in January 2026.
This marked South Africa’s lowest petrol price since early 2022, prior to the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, which led to a massive spike in global oil prices.
South Africa saw another fuel price cut of 65c per litre in February, but these gains were soon undone by the outbreak of the war between the United States and Iran, causing Brent Crude oil prices to skyrocket.
Since the war began right at the end of the month, South Africa was only hit with a 20c per litre petrol price increase in March, though this was originally meant to be another price reduction.
Over the next month, oil prices reached a high of over $110 per barrel, translating to an enormous R6.06 per litre petrol price increase at the start of April.
However, South Africa only received a R3.06 increase because the government implemented a temporary R3 reduction in the General Fuel Levy (GFL) to cushion the blow to consumers.
The GFL reduction was only meant to last until the start of May; however, the government extended the relief measure by another month.
This resulted in a R3.27 per litre increase in May, instead than a R6.27 hike
Petrol prices began to recover in June, however, the National Treasury reintroduced half of the GFL that month, adding R1.50 to the fuel price.
Consequently, the price of petrol went up by R1.46 when it was originally supposed to go down by 4c per litre.
The other half of the GFL was added back in July, but this month’s fuel price recoveries were large enough to absorb the fuel tax.
As a result, petrol was reduced by an appreciable R1.96 per litre.
These were the official fuel price adjustments over the last six months:
- February – 65c per litre decrease
- March – 20c per litre increase
- April – 306c per litre increase
- May – 327c per litre increase
- June – 146c per litre increase
- July – 196c per litre decrease
Even with July’s fuel price reduction, motorists are still paying far more than they were at the start of the year.
The following table shows the cost difference between filling different tank sizes in January compared to the latest price this July:
| Tank size | Cost to refill in January 2026 (R20.75/l) | Cost to refill in July 2026 (R26.10/l) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 litres | R622.50 | R783.00 | + R160.50 |
| 40 litres | R830.00 | R1,044.00 | + R214.00 |
| 50 litres | R1,037.50 | R1,305.00 | + R267.50 |
| 60 litres | R1,245.00 | R1,566.00 | + R321.00 |
| 70 litres | R1,452.50 | R1,827.00 | + R374.50 |
| 80 litres | R1,660.00 | R2,088.00 | + R428.00 |
Motorists are paying hundreds of rands more for petrol than they were at the start of the year.
Those with small cars are paying at least R160 more per top-up, while households with larger SUVs and bakkies are paying up to R428 more.
The good news is that petrol prices will likely see another over-recovery in August, provided the global oil price remains relatively stable.
According to the Central Energy Fund, petrol will be reduced by around R2.50 next month. However, the situation in the Middle East is still volatile.
The US and Iran have continued to launch attacks against one another this week, despite reaching an agreement to end the war.
This caused oil prices to increase from $70 to $73 per barrel as of the time of writing, but it remains to be seen whether prices will recover before the month is out.
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