Consumer Watch with Cheryle Dennis: Quick check of FuelWatch website can save you more than $1200 a year

We know every dollar counts to WA families right now.

I want to share the news that savvy motorists could save more than $1200 a year by using the FuelWatch website to shop around before they fill-up.

Independent retailers dominated the top cheapest outlets across WA in 2023. Selling the cheapest fuel in the Mid West was Liberty Dongara, with an average ULP price of 182.6 cents per litre (cpl), followed by United Rangeway with 186.5cpl and Metro Geraldton in Mahomets Flats in third spot with 187.9cpl.

For those who travel to Perth, FuelWatch data has also revealed independent retailers Vibe, Atlas Fuel, FastFuel 24/7 and Liberty outlets occupied all spots in the top ten of cheapest non-membership outlets across the Perth metropolitan area.

Costco outlets at Perth Airport and Casuarina topped the cheapest list overall, but an annual membership is required to access these sites.

The overall average ULP price in WA last year was 187.4 cpl and for diesel we saw an average of 203.3 cpl. When it comes to diesel, we found country areas often pay less than Perth motorists due to competition. But it’s always worth shopping around by using the FuelWatch service.

Long gone are the days of not knowing if the cheap fuel you saw on the way to work will be the same price on the way home.

The “24-Hour-Rule”, established more than 20 years ago, means retailers must tell Consumer Protection by 2pm each day what their fuel price will be for the following day. They must keep that price unchanged for 24 hours from 6am the following day making FuelWatch the only service in Australia that gives you the opportunity to access tomorrow’s fuel prices today.

When FuelWatch was introduced in 2001, it also required WA regional fuel retailers to display their prices on visible price boards. This is another way FuelWatch continues to help WA motorists by making sure there are no surprises when they get to the bowser.

We are currently in a weekly petrol price cycle, with Tuesday being the cheapest day to fill up but there are always bargains to be found. It’s worth noting, diesel does not follow a price cycle.

It takes less than 30 seconds to check out the FuelWatch website at www.fuelwatch.wa.gov.au to find the best deal near you, it’s also worth considering signing up for personalised alerts or you can access FuelWatch through the State Government’s ServiceWA app.

Cheryle Dennis is acting senior regional officer for Consumer Protection in the Mid West