By Jed Lanyon
Healesville residents are being slugged with the highest fuel prices across Melbourne and it could be costing locals hundreds of dollars a year according to new research from the RACV.
With more Victorians hitting the roads and petrol prices rebounding to pre-pandemic highs, the RACV data revealed motorists can save up to $300 a year just by comparing fuel prices.
It’s bad news for Healesville residents as the 3777 postcode has been listed as the most expensive place to fill up, as motorists pay an average of 137.35 cents per litre for unleaded fuel. That’s over 20 cents per litre more than the cheapest fuel destination in Melbourne.
RACV’s research analysed petrol prices in 748 metropolitan and regional suburbs and towns for the year to 1 April 2021 and debunked the myth that fuel is always more expensive in the regions.
Hamilton, four hours’ drive away from Melbourne, is the cheapest place to buy petrol, with the average price of unleaded 91 petrol costing 109.64 cents a litre, about eight cents a litre cheaper than the lowest price in the city.
One fuel retailer in Healesville charged 169.9 centre a litre, as at 17 May. That figure was 41.2 cents higher than a retailer in Wandin North.
When Star Mail investigated the issue in February, RACV’s senior engineer, Nicholas Platt, said the lack of independent fuel retailers in the area meant there was no pressure for the bigger brands to lower prices.
“Healesville is only serviced by three retailers, all of whom are major brands – Caltex, Coles Express and BP,” he told Star Mail.
“Wandin North and Mount Evelyn by contrast are entirely serviced by independents which tends to have the effect of holding down prices in surrounding areas such as Lilydale. While Lilydale also has a large proportion of major brand retailers, it has significantly lower prices than Healesville due to this competition.
Mr Platt said the current findings highlight the importance of shopping around to maximise savings, and that even travelling to a neighbouring suburb to fill up can make a difference, citing Mitcham (118.42 cents) being cheaper than Ringwood (133.52 cents) as an example.
“An average family car using 1500 litres to travel 15,000 km per year, could save up to $300 per year when comparing fuel prices,” he explained.
“The more petrol stations in a particular area, and the more competitive they are, the cheaper the fuel.”
It makes no difference whether the postcode is in an affluent area. Of the 43 regional postcodes surveyed, only four were more expensive than Melbourne’s average price of 124.86 cents per litre.
In fact, even the highest price – 136.5 cents per litre in the 3700 postcode which covers Tallangatta and surrounds – was about one cent cheaper than Melbourne’s top price.
Mr Platt said the impact of Covid-19, which drove down demand and prices during lockdown in Victoria, is reflected in lower fuel prices across the board, compared with 2018/19 data. During 2020/21, the price of premium unleaded fuel followed a similar pattern across all postcodes.
