Guide · Updated 2026
Best petrol price apps
in Australia (2026)
An honest look at what's actually worth using in Australia now — apps, websites, and government tools.
Written and reviewed by Mark Schreuder, founder of PetrolPulse · First published 24 March 2026 · Last updated 31 July 2026
Quick picks
There is no single best fuel app in Australia — the right one depends on the job. For the cheapest price near you now, use PetrolSpy; for timing your fill-up, PetrolPulse or FuelRadar; for fuel outages, any of PetrolPulse, CheckPetrol or FuelRadar. The picks below cover the independent apps and websites; retailer apps and government tools are further down.
- Best for cheapest price near you right now: PetrolSpy — one of the largest station databases, and broad coverage in regional and rural areas.
- Best for whether to fill up today or wait: PetrolPulse or FuelRadar — both read the retail price cycle; PetrolPulse also factors in oil and exchange-rate moves, and publishes a weekly-tested record of how often its calls prove right.
- Best for whether prices will rise or fall next month: PetrolPulse — the only tool that blends Singapore refined-fuel prices and the AUD/USD rate into the forecast.
- Best for spotting possible fuel outages before you drive: PetrolPulse, CheckPetrol or FuelRadar — all three flag stations reporting or likely short of a fuel — treat them as a prompt to call ahead, not proof a station is dry. PetrolPulse is the only one that plots them along your driving route.
- Best for a simple app on your phone: FuelRadar or MotorMouth — both have native apps; PetrolPulse is web-only but works well in a mobile browser.
- Best for the most accurate live prices (official source): Your state government scheme — NSW FuelCheck, WA FuelWatch and the rest — most apps are built on this data. One exception: Victoria publishes a daily price cap on a roughly day-delayed feed, so a listed VIC price is a ceiling, not necessarily the bowser price.
A note on our independence: PetrolPulse is one of the tools compared here — we build it — so weigh our verdicts with that in mind and check the ones relevant to you. We've aimed to be even-handed, and a couple of honest points: PetrolSpy lists more individual stations than we do, and FuelRadar and MotorMouth offer native apps where PetrolPulse is web-only. Where we rate PetrolPulse the best pick it is for a specific job — forecasting whether prices will rise or fall over the next four weeks from oil and exchange-rate moves, and plotting outages along your driving route — and we've said why rather than just asserting it. That forecast is directional guidance, not a guaranteed price, and it works better in some city cycles than others.
How we compared them
How this was checked: in July 2026 we used each tool's live website and, where it has one, its app, and confirmed the feature claims against what each publishes. We did not run a controlled price-accuracy test — no independent scoring of whose prices are freshest — so treat the freshness notes as based on each scheme's stated behaviour, not our own field measurement.
The main options compared
| Tool | Price forecast | Outage tracker | Coverage | Free | Platform | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PetrolSpy | Historical graphs only | No | National (very broad) | Yes | Web + App | Cheapest near you, incl. regional |
| PetrolPulse | Yes — oil + AUD/USD + cycle · accuracy published weekly | Yes — plotted on your route | All states + territories | Yes | Web | Outages on your route + 4-week oil/FX outlook |
| FuelRadar | Cycle-based; accuracy page, no results yet | Yes — outage map | National | Yes | Web + App | A simple app with cycle alerts |
| CheckPetrol | No | Yes — national map | National (8,000+ stations) | Yes | Web | Availability, with live prices |
| MotorMouth | Limited | No | Mainly metro | Yes | Web + App | Quick metro price lookup |
Independent apps and websites only — retailer-owned apps (such as 7-Eleven's) and government schemes are covered separately below. Competitor details independently checked July 2026.
FuelRadar
Price cycles & alerts
Strengths
- Strong cycle prediction with daily push alerts
- Native app plus a website, and active development
- Australia-wide coverage, plus a national fuel outage map
Limitations
- Cycle-based forecast; has a public accuracy page, but no results published yet
- Some features (price alerts, saved stations) require an account
Best for: Daily drivers who want a native app with push alerts when it's time to fill up.
PetrolSpy
Price comparison
Strengths
- One of the largest station databases in Australia
- Good coverage in regional and rural areas
- Web and app both functional
Limitations
- Historical cycle graphs only — no forward price forecast
- UI is dated
- No macro market signals
Best for: Finding the cheapest station near you right now, especially outside capital cities.
PetrolPulse
Price forecasting + outage tracking
Strengths
- Incorporates live oil market signals and AUD/USD — not just cycle patterns
- Publishes a weekly-tested accuracy record of its fill-up calls, including where the model is weak
- The only tool that plots live fuel outages along your driving route, next to the cheapest stops
- No app install or account required
- 4-week macro outlook alongside the cycle recommendation
- Station finder with live prices
Limitations
- Web-only — no native app
- The forecast is modelled directional guidance (rise/fall), not a guaranteed price, and works better in strong-cycle cities than flat ones — use it alongside live prices
Best for: Drivers who want to know whether this fill-up will be cheaper or dearer than last month's — a 4-week oil-and-AUD/USD outlook no other tool here offers — and who want outages plotted along their route.
CheckPetrol
Outage tracking + price comparison
Strengths
- Dedicated national outage map across 8,000+ stations
- Compares live prices alongside availability
- Free, web-based
Limitations
- No price forecast or fill-up timing signal
- Availability-focused rather than a full price finder
Best for: Checking fuel availability, with live prices, when you don't need a forecast.
MotorMouth
Price comparison
Strengths
- Native apps for iOS and Android
- Community price reports alongside official data
Limitations
- Limited forecasting
- Web version is a thin single-page app — a region selector, little else
Best for: Quick current price lookup on mobile, particularly in metro areas.
Government fuel price schemes
The most accurate live price data in Australia comes from state government mandatory reporting schemes, not third-party apps. Most apps source their data from these schemes. Going direct gives you the freshest data with no middleman.
FuelCheck
Real-time prices from all NSW fuel retailers, updated as prices change — a comprehensive official live feed, and the source many third-party apps build on. Available via web and API.
FuelWatch
Unique in Australia: stations must submit their next day's price the afternoon before. Prices are locked for 24 hours from 6am each day. This makes Perth the most predictable market in the country — you know tomorrow's prices today.
Fair Fuel / Servo Saver
Victoria works differently to every other state: retailers commit to a daily price cap — the maximum they will charge that day — rather than reporting live price changes, and they may sell below it. The Servo Saver app publishes tomorrow's cap from the afternoon before. The public open-data feed that third-party tools ingest, including PetrolPulse, runs roughly a day behind by design, so a listed Victorian price is a ceiling rather than a live bowser reading.
QLD Fuel Price Reporting
Queensland's mandatory scheme requires stations to report a price change within 30 minutes of making it. Data feeds into third-party apps including PetrolSpy and FuelRadar.
Fuel Pricing Information Scheme
Live since 20 March 2021. Retailers must report a price change as close as possible to the moment it happens, and no more than 30 minutes after. South Australian data is as fresh as NSW or Queensland's.
MyFuel NT
Mandatory since 2017. Since April 2026 the NT runs a WA-style price lock: retailers commit each day to the next day's price, published at 2:30pm and fixed from 6am for 24 hours (they may drop it during the day). That makes Darwin one of the more predictable markets in the country.
The ACT has no separate scheme — Canberra stations report through NSW FuelCheck, so ACT data is real-time too, and Tasmania's FuelCheck TAS is a real-time consumer service as well. Of the states, Victoria is the one genuine freshness exception: its public open-data feed is roughly a day behind and its listed price is a daily cap, not necessarily the price at the bowser.
Common questions
Where is the cheapest petrol near me right now?
NSW FuelCheck (NSW), FuelWatch (WA), or PetrolSpy nationally. These give the most current station-level data.
Should I fill up today or wait a few days?
PetrolPulse or FuelRadar. Both track the price cycle and can tell you whether you're at a trough (fill up now) or heading toward one (wait). PetrolPulse also publishes a weekly-tested accuracy record of those calls — including where the model is weak — so you can judge how much weight to give them.
Will petrol be cheaper or more expensive next month?
PetrolPulse. The 4-week macro outlook factors in oil market movements and AUD/USD that other apps don't incorporate.
Which app or website shows fuel shortages or outages?
Three tools track fuel outages nationally: PetrolPulse, CheckPetrol and FuelRadar. All three read the same official state price feeds and infer availability from them, so treat any of them as a prompt to call ahead rather than proof a station is dry. CheckPetrol combines outages with live price comparison; FuelRadar pairs outages with its price map and forecast; PetrolPulse is the only one that plots outages along your driving route, alongside a 4-week oil-and-AUD/USD price outlook.
Best free fuel price website that doesn't need an app?
PetrolPulse — free, web-based, no install or account, with both a price forecast and the live outage tracker. PetrolSpy also has a functional website nationally.
I just want a simple app on my phone
FuelRadar or MotorMouth for an app experience. PetrolPulse is web-only but works well on mobile browsers without an install.
The bottom line
Most fuel tools answer the same question: where is the cheapest fuel near me right now? That is useful, but it is only half the picture. The bigger saving comes from knowing when to fill up, not just where. In the strongly cycling capitals — Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide — filling at the bottom of the cycle instead of the top can be worth 15 to 25 cents a litre, far more than driving across town to a station two cents cheaper. In flatter markets the gap is smaller.
Several tools now answer both questions. What separates them is what the forecast is built on, and whether you can check it: PetrolPulse blends Singapore MOGAS and AUD/USD movements into the cycle rather than reading the retail cycle alone — so a scheduled excise change or a sustained move in import costs, which pushes prices regardless of where the cycle sits, is part of the call. It also publishes its method and a weekly-tested accuracy record — including where the model is weak. FuelRadar also forecasts and runs its own outage map, if you'd rather have a native app. And if you just want the widest station database for the cheapest price right now, PetrolSpy is still the one to beat.
Check today's forecast for your city