Echuca motorists paying upwards of 15 cents more than others in Victoria

Echuca residents pay an average of a $1.77 per litre for unleaded petrol.

That is on average 15 cents a litre more than our counterparts in Shepparton, where the average price for unleaded is $1.62 per litre.

Shepparton motorists are faring the best of anyone in regional Victoria.

On an examination of 11 major regional Victorian centres, Shepparton ranks well clear with that $1.62 per litre price.

Second on the list is Ballarat where the average price is $1.67 per litre.

The Latrobe Valley (Moe, Morwell and Traralgon) sits third, with an average price of $1.69 per litre.

Bendigo ($1.73), Warrnambool ($1.74) and Geelong ($1.75) all pay a slightly cheaper rate than Echuca.

Echuca motorists pay the same prices at the bowser as Mildura, despite Mildura being more than 300km further from Melbourne than us (542km to 224km).

The only major centre paying more for fuel than us is Wodonga ($1.81 per litre).

The Echuca pricepoint is felt across the region with Kyabram ($1.80) and Rochester ($1.81) slightly higher.

Even Moama motorists are paying on average $1.80 per litre.

Grattan Institute’s transport associate Natasha Bradshaw discussed the differences in the prices.

“Generally, fuel costs more in regional areas because of higher costs for transport and storage, less demand for convenience sales like food and drinks, and less competition,” Mrs Bradshaw said.

“Fuel prices will fluctuate depending on international crude oil prices (which are determined by global supply and demand), our exchange rate, taxes, and the costs faced by fuel wholesalers and retailers.

“Base fuel prices are linked to crude oil prices, which is an internationally traded commodity. The international price is determined by global supply and demand, so Australia would not be able to influence these prices.

“In the longer-term, motorists can make choices about how much fuel we use. Australians buy more gas-guzzling SUVs than almost anywhere in the world.”

In 2019, 66 per cent of the light vehicles sold in Australia were SUVs and utility vehicles compared with 44 per cent globally.

This reliance on cars that need a lot of petrol mean Australians feel the pinch more than other people when petrol prices rise.

RACV general manager of mobility Julia Hunter encouraged motorists to use the arevo Fuel Finder app or website to find the best price.

“There are often substantial price variances for fuel even in the same suburb or town,” Ms Hunter said.

“By using the Fuel Finder in the arevo app and simply shopping around for the cheapest price every time they fill up, arevo app users can save an average of $299.05 a year or up to 30.3 cents per litre on any given purchase.”

“The best action the government can take in this area is to introduce a carefully designed emissions ceiling. This ceiling is a limit on the average emissions of new vehicles that manufacturers can sell each year. This would come at a negligible cost to taxpayers, save drivers money because of lower fuel costs, and reduce carbon emissions and nasty exhaust-pipe pollutants.

“Not only can arevo help motorists make informed decisions about where they fill up, we can also help them save even more once they get to the counter.”

So how does Echuca compare to our city counterparts.

Only Perth ($1.81), Hobart ($1.82) and Canberra ($1.83) are paying more for their petrol than we are.

Sydney is the cheapest capital at $1.66 per litre, just ahead of Brisbane ($1.67) and Melbourne ($1.68).

Adelaide motorists are paying $1.72 per litre and Darwin $1.76 per litre.

According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), there are a number of factors that determine the fluctuating price at the bowser.

“Petrol prices move up and down in regular patterns in Australia's largest capital cities. Petrol prices steadily decrease for a period followed by a sharper increase,” a spokesperson told the Riv.

“This pattern is also known as a petrol price cycle. It is a movement in the retail price from a low point (or trough) to a high point (or peak) to the following low point.”

“In 2021-22, the average duration of price cycles in Sydney was about six weeks, in Melbourne and Brisbane it was five weeks and in Adelaide just over two weeks. Perth’s price cycle is weekly.”

As for the cheapest price for unleaded in Echuca, currently it is a tie between United and Liberty, who are located across from each other on the Murray Valley Hwy.

The price for unleaded petrol is 173.5 cents per litre.