FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

We have received plenty of interesting questions from lots of motorists from across the country, not just WA and have included many of the common ones in this list.  Where possible, we have provided links to relevant web pages for more detailed information. 

Special Information or data requests

Average prices for fuels since FuelWatch commenced in 2001 can be found on the Historical Prices page; if you have any other requests, please contact us.

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The following lists all the questions in our FAQ.  As there are over 80 questions, they are split into segments. You can click on the link in the listing, or read all the FAQs below.

1. Using FuelWatch
2. Fuel Prices
3. Price increases and cycles
4. Price Differences
5. Buying fuel
6. Regions
7. Fuel Types
8. Understanding fuel
9. Stakeholders

List of all FAQs

A. Using FuelWatch

1) How do I contact someone if I need help?

I. Email service

2) How do I subscribe?
3) How do I unsubscribe?
4) How to put my email subscription on hold/reactivate it?
5) How do I change or check my search preferences?
6) How do I change my email address or personal details?
7) I am not getting my emails.
8) I forgot my password.
9) Why doesn’t a particular service station get included in my email?

II. Website

10) How do i do a search / advanced search?
11) The searches are not working / the prices are different.
12) How do I plan a trip?
13) Why sign into my FuelWatch record?
14) When are tomorrow's prices available?

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B. Fuel Prices

1) Does FuelWatch predict prices?
2) Why doesn't FuelWatch control prices?
3) Do service stations need to show their prices on a signboard?
4) What happens if a retailer charges a different price than shown on FuelWatch or the media?
5) Is a retailer allowed to change their prices during the day?
6) How do I get prices for a different state?
7) How much can FuelWatch save me?
8) The wrong station was shown in the media
9) There are two similar sites in my town and the media said one was cheap but I can't tell which one

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C. Price increases and cycles

1) Why are there sharp hikes in petrol prices in Perth?
2) Why are Perth retailers allowed to change their prices by so much?
3) Why don't you show price hike alerts for PULP and 98RON?
4) Do prices hike before a weekend or holidays?
5) Why aren’t there price cycles for all fuels?
6) What influences prices cycles?
7) How can I take advantage of price cycles?

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D. Price differences

1) All the service stations in my town are charging the same price - is this collusion?
2) Is it illegal to monitor a competitor’s prices and charge the same price.
3) What is the retail price of petrol made up of?
4) How can prices be so different in the same town/suburb?
5) How can prices be so different for the same brand?
6) Why is there such a price difference between ULP and LPG/Diesel/PULP/ 98RON?
7) What is the price difference between Perth and the eastern states capitals?
8) The price on the price sign is different to the prices shown on FuelWatch/Media?

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E. Buying fuel

1) Do service stations charge more to make up for shopper docket discounts?
2) Is my retailer allowed to charge extra for using credit cards?
3) Is it illegal for a service station to give out their price over the phone?
4) Which service stations offer driveway service?
5) What time do retailers change their prices?

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F. Regions

1) Why is there a big difference between metro and country prices?
2) Why are there big differences in country towns that are close to each other eg. Bunbury and Busselton. 
3) Why don’t you show my town / all regional prices?
4) Why doesn't FuelWatch cover the whole of Western Australia?
5) How does our regional town join FuelWatch?
6) Where can I find information about the Country Age Pension Fuel Card?

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G. Fuel Types

I. Premium fuels

1) What premium fuels are available in WA and why are they 'premium'?
2) What is 98RON
3) What does RON mean?
4) Where is 98RON available?

II. Diesel

5) Why is the price of diesel often higher than the price of petrol?
6) Why does the price on diesel only seem to go up, while petrol prices go down?
7) Why doesn’t the priceboard show diesel prices?

III. LPG

8) Where is LPG available from? Regional availability (selling and conversion)
9) Why does LPG cost so much in the country?
10) Why is LPG so expensive to buy in WA if we sell it to overseas for only a few cents per litre? 
11) How much does it cost to convert my car to LPG?
12) Are there any taxes on LPG?

IV. Biofuel

13) What are biofuels?
14) Are biofuels being sold in WA?
15) Can I use biofuels in my car?

V. Ethanol

16) What is ethanol?
17) Is ethanol a biofuel?
18) Is there any ethanol in WA's fuel?
19) Are there any requirements to label fuel with ethanol?
20) Can I use ethanol in my car?

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H. Understanding Fuel

I. Fuel quality & measurement

1) Do any retailers sell ‘dodgy’ fuel / How do I know if fuel is ‘dodgy’?
2) Where can I find fuel specifications?
3) Who do I contact if fuel has damaged my car?
4) Who do I contact if the amount of fuel the bowser showed is more than my tank holds?

II.Economics of fuel (all fuels)

5) How does the price of crude oil affect Australian retail prices?
6) Why do we use a Singapore price as a benchmark?
7) How do international factors affect local retail fuel prices?
8) How does the USA/Australian exchange rate affect retail petrol prices?
9) What sorts of taxes/excise are there on fuel?

III. Wholesale market

10) What is the TGP?
11) Where can I find the TGP?
12) How can some retailers sell below the TGP?

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I. Stakeholders

1) Who are the oil companies (retail and wholesale)?
2) What are the retail/wholesale margins?
3) What role does the ACCC have in fuel? Do they control fuel prices / investigate service stations?

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