BUNBURY motorists will be looking to fuel up this week as local service stations offer one of the cheapest prices in the South West.
But the price is even cheaper in Perth, sparking a trend of motorists stocking up on fuel and running some service stations dry.
The average price for unleaded fuel in Perth was 104.6 cents, the cheapest it has been in six years.
A number of outlets were selling it for slightly less than a dollar a litre, with the cheapest at 99.8 cents a litre.
In comparison, Bunbury service stations will sell unleaded fuel from between 117.9 cents and 119.9 tomorrow.
The fluctuating market has shown figures unique to other regional locations.
“Between June and August last year, Bunbury fuel prices were cheaper than Perth by an average of two cents per litre,” said FuelWatch WA manager Lynne Gould.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas the market started to show this trend again.
“Since July last year the prices have been falling sharply,” Ms Gould said.
The factors influencing the price of fuel in regional towns are attributed to the volume of fuel sold and the income generated from non-fuel sales.
Ms Gould said changes in fuel prices are influenced by the local competition in Bunbury.
Petrol prices have fallen across Australia, with Singapore gasoline prices as the basis for most Australian wholesale pricing, which have fallen to their lowest level since 2009.
“Future predictions show that the price of fuel will remain low and continue to fall - this is pretty good news for motorists,” Ms Gould said.
A greater supply than demand of crude oil is also a major factor for the price of fuel remaining low.
“There are some competitors who won’t be able to sustain this (low fuel price),” Ms Gould said.
In regions where there are only one or two petrol stations the prices are generally going to be higher.
“In a market where there are competitors there is good fuel prices to be had,” said Ms Gould.
To find the cheapest fuel near you and to plan your journey visit fuelwatch.wa.gov.au