Pat and Tina's BP service station manager Joe Di Conza said his prices would increase on Friday and he expected people to fill up before the fuel excise rise took full effect.
“All I know is I am going to be very busy for the next 48 hours with people filling up containers, and farmers will be coming in with their machinery and the likes, so it will be madness,” Mr Di Conza said.
He said the BP servo was selling unleaded at $1.65 and diesel at $2.03, but expected demand to drop on Friday when prices rose.
“I expect once the excise comes into effect, it will be a quiet weekend,” he said.
Exactly when prices will rise is not clear, according to the RACV.
“The trend for fuel prices over the coming weeks is difficult to predict and will depend on a range of factors, including geographical area, availability, international benchmark prices, the reintroduction of the national fuel excise, the value of the Australian dollar relative to the US dollar and levels of competition in different areas,” a spokesperson said.
The RACV recommends drivers seek out the best deals at the pump.
“RACV suggests motorists shop around for the best deal by using the Fuel Tracker on the RACV website, or the Arevo journey planning app for real-time pricing updates,” the spokeperson said.
Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers said last week that the reinstatement of the full fuel excise of 44.2 cents per litre shouldn't trigger an immediate spike in prices at the bowser.
“Fuel prices in most parts of the country at the moment are now around 50 cents a litre below the peak recorded in July,” Mr Chalmers said.
“Industry estimates there (will) be more than 700 million litres of lower excise fuel in the system when the fuel excise is reintroduced.”
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