The 12-month surge in fuel costs comes as Adelaide’s petrol prices spike before the Australia Day long weekend.

Last January, Adelaide had some of the cheapest fuel in the country, averaging $1.21/L. Now it’s the second-most expensive, averaging $1.59/L – an increase of just over $0.37/L in 12 months.

On 5 January, the average fuel price across Adelaide reached $1.72/l – more than 50 cents higher than at the same time last year.

While the rising fuel price might impact you in the long run, it could also make your Australia Day long weekend slightly more expensive if you’re travelling.

Based on the monthly average, driving from Adelaide to Port Lincoln in a Toyota Camry Ascent driver will cost $41.29 more this January compared to the first month of 2019.

And, if you’re thinking about driving the same car up to the river, you’ll pay an extra $16 to get from Adelaide to Renmark and back.

Filling your petrol tank

RAA motoring expert Mark Borlace said Adelaide’s average price increase was due to the wholesale price of petrol being driven up and retailers extending the peaks in the regular unleaded cycle.

“When prices go up, they’ve been staying high for longer, Mr Borlace said.

Fuel prices regularly stay high for about 5 days now, rather than a few days.

“This makes it even more important for motorists to be able to access accurate real-time fuel prices.”

RAA has been lobbying the state government to implement mandatory real-time fuel pricing, which will force service stations to report their petrol prices to the state government about 15 minutes before they change them. These prices can then be published online.

Mr Borlace said motorists could then access up-to-date prices online or on a phone app.

“This gives motorists the opportunity to shop around when prices spike and look for cheaper fuel,” Mr Borlace said.