It’s so frustrating to buy petrol, drive 100 metres down the road and see the exact same fuel offered cheaper. Sounds like you need one of these petrol prices apps in your pocket.
The cost of importing refined petroleum has eased considerably, yet petrol prices are currently through the roof. Petrol stations are basically ripping us off, big time. Well, not necessarily every petrol station. Many are passing on their savings and they’re the ones you want to frequent. Getting your hands on a good petrol price app can help with that.
These are the apps that compare fuel prices in real time in your location. It’s super simple way to save money every time you need to fill up. When you need to refuel, consult your app then head to the nearest service station that’s offering the best deal.
Here are our picks for petrol prices apps that are easy to use. They are all free to use, so pick the one that suits you best (and do check how they use your data to make sure you’re comfortable).
Simples
This free app from Compare the Market (where David Koch is Economic Director) maps fuel prices wherever you are. Simples shows all the service stations near you and displays their current fuel price. You can also type in your destination and get the fuel price for where you’re headed. Set up a “favourite” route and you can get quick access to show where it’s cheapest to fuel up along the way.
NSW FuelCheck
NSW only
Unlike the crowd-sourcing petrol prices apps (see below), FuelCheck belongs to the NSW government. Over 2000 service stations in NSW upload fuel prices in real time to get the most accurate data. There are no prize incentives or points systems to encourage bogus reporting. Just fuel prices in real time at your fingertips.
While the NSW government is the only state to roll out an app so far, Queensland, Western Australia and Northern Territory governments also maintain mandatory fuel price databases. Service station operators are required by law to log updates whenever they change their prices:
Motor Mouth
MotorMouth was the first of the petrol prices apps in Australia and independently reports prices for around 4,500 service stations each day. The data is gathered from fuel retailers and via roaming members of the MotorMouth community. Users who submit prices are rewarded with credits that can be exchanged for premium features within the app.
The user experience is easy and quick and the app encourages community by featuring a ‘heads up for your mates’ function that lets you tell your friends about cheap fuel prices near them. You can also track market trends and forecasts, as well as your own fuel usage over time.
Petrol Spy
Petrol Spy operates in every capital city in Australia. It shows price and brand of fuel in your current GPS location. Like most of the apps, it uses crowd-sourcing to enter accurate fuel data. The incentive for this app is earning five credit points to go into the daily draw to win a $25 fuel card. You’ll need to enter five different fuel prices to get your five points. CHOICE rate it as one of the most accurate of the petrol prices apps in most locations, so that’s a big win on it’s own.
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Fuel Map Australia
Fuel Map Australia is a crowd-sourced petrol prices app that shows price and brand of fuel station directly in the app. In WA, fuel prices are updated automatically using FuelWatch. Australia-wide, this is one of the most price accurate apps you can get.
Pumped
As far as we can tell, the Pumped app is the only petrol prices apps to include electric charging stations. It also lists far more than the current fuel prices at each service station – things that are often important when you’re on the road, like operating hours, garage services and loo and shop facilities.
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