Fuel price history NZ: what 22 years show
New Zealand's average Petrol 91 price has risen over the long term, but not in a straight line. Sudden jumps and falls matter more to a driver than the slow trend.
Selected annual Petrol 91 averages
| Year | Average price | About a 40 litre fill |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | $1.32 per litre | $52.92 |
| 2010 | $1.77 per litre | $70.68 |
| 2015 | $1.89 per litre | $75.56 |
| 2020 | $1.92 per litre | $76.60 |
| 2025 | $2.59 per litre | $103.48 |
| 2026 to 25 September | $2.98 per litre | $119.24 |
The figures are annual averages of the national adjusted retail price for regular petrol. The 2026 number covers the year through 25 September and includes recent values that may still be revised.
What changed over those years?
International fuel costs, the New Zealand dollar, taxes and local margins all changed. Major disruptions can move several of them at once, which is why the line does not rise smoothly.
The official New Zealand energy price tables hold the longer record. We have shown selected years so the broad movement is easy to read rather than turning this page into a wall of numbers.
What an annual average leaves out
These are national averages, not the price charged by every station. Regional competition, local costs and discounts mean the amount on a nearby pump can be higher or lower.
A yearly figure also smooths out sudden rises and falls. It is useful for seeing the long term scale of fuel prices, but it can hide the weeks when timing a fill mattered most.
History does not tell you next week's direction
A high price can rise again, and a low price can fall further. History gives useful scale, but it does not tell you when a turning point will arrive.
For ordinary timing, our best time to buy petrol analysis looks at typical weekly and seasonal movement. For the immediate decision, use the current forecast rather than assuming prices must return to an old level.
Check the fuel price forecast for next week and the week after →
Calculated from national weekly fuel price data available on 2 October 2026. Values are rounded to the nearest cent for readability.