What is the average fuel price in Australia in 2026?

As of March 2026, average Australian fuel prices are approximately $2.33/L for ULP (unleaded 91), $2.28/L for E10, $2.46/L for Premium 95, $2.54/L for Premium 98, and $2.72/L for Diesel. Prices vary by state and are affected by global oil supply disruptions. FuelCalc lets you enter the exact price you're paying for the most accurate estimate.

How do I calculate litres per 100km fuel consumption?

To calculate L/100km: fill your tank, reset your trip meter, drive normally, then fill up again. Divide the litres used by the kilometres driven, then multiply by 100. For example, if you used 45 litres over 600km: (45 / 600) x 100 = 7.5 L/100km. FuelCalc includes fuel consumption presets for hundreds of popular Australian vehicles.

How much does it cost to drive from Sydney to Melbourne?

The drive from Sydney to Melbourne is approximately 880km via the Hume Highway. At an average fuel consumption of 8 L/100km and ULP price of $2.33/L, the one-way fuel cost is roughly $164. A return trip would cost about $328 in fuel. Actual costs vary based on your vehicle, driving style, and current fuel prices. Use FuelCalc for an accurate estimate.

How much does it cost to drive from Brisbane to Sydney?

Brisbane to Sydney is approximately 920km via the Pacific Highway (M1). At 8 L/100km and ULP at $2.33/L, the one-way fuel cost is roughly $171. A return trip costs approximately $343. The drive takes about 10 to 11 hours depending on traffic and stops. Use FuelCalc to get an estimate based on your vehicle and fuel price.

How much does it cost to drive from Melbourne to Adelaide?

Melbourne to Adelaide is about 730km via the Western Highway and takes roughly 8 hours. At 8 L/100km and ULP at $2.33/L, the one-way fuel cost is approximately $136. A return trip costs about $272. Use FuelCalc for an estimate tailored to your specific vehicle and current fuel prices.

How much does it cost to drive from Perth to Sydney?

Perth to Sydney is one of Australia's longest drives at approximately 3,930km. At 8 L/100km and ULP at $2.33/L, the one-way fuel cost is roughly $733. The drive takes about 40 to 42 hours of driving time across several days. Use FuelCalc to calculate the exact cost for your vehicle.

How much does it cost to drive from Sydney to Gold Coast?

Sydney to the Gold Coast is approximately 840km via the Pacific Highway (M1) and takes around 9 hours. At 8 L/100km and ULP at $2.33/L, the one-way fuel cost is roughly $157. A return trip costs about $314. Use FuelCalc to calculate the exact cost based on your vehicle and current fuel price.

How much does it cost to drive from Sydney to Canberra?

Sydney to Canberra is approximately 280km via the Hume and Federal Highways and takes about 3 hours. At 8 L/100km and ULP at $2.33/L, the one-way fuel cost is roughly $52. A return trip costs about $104. It is one of the most popular short drives in Australia.

How much does it cost to drive from Brisbane to Cairns?

Brisbane to Cairns is approximately 1,700km via the Bruce Highway and takes around 19 to 20 hours of driving, usually done over two or three days. At 8 L/100km and ULP at $2.33/L, the one-way fuel cost is roughly $317. A return trip costs about $634.

How much does it cost to drive from Sydney to Byron Bay?

Sydney to Byron Bay is approximately 770km via the Pacific Highway (M1) and takes around 8 to 9 hours. At 8 L/100km and ULP at $2.33/L, the one-way fuel cost is roughly $144. A return trip costs about $287. Use FuelCalc for an estimate tailored to your vehicle.

How much does it cost to drive from Melbourne to Geelong?

Melbourne to Geelong is approximately 75km via the Princes Freeway (M1) and takes about 50 minutes to 1 hour. At 8 L/100km and ULP at $2.35/L, the one-way fuel cost is roughly $14. A return trip costs about $28. This is one of Australia's most common daily commutes.

How much does it cost to drive from Perth to Broome?

Perth to Broome is approximately 2,240km via the Great Northern Highway and takes around 24 hours of driving time, usually split over two to three days. At 8 L/100km and ULP at $2.32/L, the one-way fuel cost is roughly $416. Fuel prices in remote WA can be significantly higher than city prices.

How much does it cost to drive from Adelaide to Sydney?

Adelaide to Sydney is approximately 1,380km via the Hume Highway through Wagga Wagga and takes around 14 hours. At 8 L/100km and ULP at $2.28/L, the one-way fuel cost is roughly $252. A return trip costs about $504. Use FuelCalc to calculate the cost for your specific vehicle.

How much fuel do I need for a 500km trip?

The fuel needed for a 500km trip depends on your vehicle's consumption rate. At 8 L/100km (average for a mid-size car), you would need 40 litres. At 6 L/100km (small car), you would need 30 litres. At 12 L/100km (large SUV or ute), you would need 60 litres. The formula is: (distance / 100) x L/100km = litres needed.

Is it cheaper to drive or fly in Australia?

For solo travellers, flying is often cheaper than driving for distances over 800km when you factor in fuel, tolls, food, and accommodation. However, driving becomes more cost-effective with multiple passengers because fuel costs are split while airfares multiply per person. For example, Sydney to Melbourne costs roughly $164 in fuel for one car but $200 to $400 per person to fly. With four passengers, driving costs about $41 per person. Use FuelCalc to compare.

Is E10 petrol cheaper than ULP 91 in Australia?

Yes, E10 is typically 3 to 5 cents per litre cheaper than ULP 91 in Australia. As of March 2026, the national average is $2.28/L for E10 versus $2.33/L for ULP. However, E10 contains 10 percent ethanol which has less energy than pure petrol, so your fuel consumption increases by about 3 percent. For most drivers, E10 still works out slightly cheaper overall. Check your vehicle manual to confirm it is compatible with E10.

How much does it cost to drive from Melbourne to Brisbane?

Melbourne to Brisbane is approximately 1,670km via the inland Newell Highway or 1,760km via the coastal Pacific Highway. At 8 L/100km and ULP at $2.33/L, the one-way fuel cost is roughly $311 to $328 depending on route. The drive takes around 18 to 19 hours. Use FuelCalc to calculate the cost for your specific vehicle and preferred route.

What is the cheapest fuel type in Australia?

E10 ethanol blend is typically the cheapest fuel in Australia at around 3 to 5 cents per litre less than ULP 91. However, E10 has about 3 percent lower energy content, so your consumption increases slightly. LPG (autogas) is significantly cheaper per litre but requires a vehicle conversion. For total running cost, hybrid and electric vehicles are the cheapest to fuel.

Is FuelCalc free to use?

Yes, FuelCalc is completely free to use. There are no sign-ups, no ads, and no hidden fees. It works on any device with a web browser — phone, tablet, or desktop — and can be installed as an app for offline use.

What fuel types does FuelCalc support?

FuelCalc supports all common Australian fuel types: Unleaded 91 (ULP), Ethanol E10, Premium 95 (P95), Premium 98 (P98), Diesel, and Electric Vehicles (EV with kWh pricing). You can select your fuel type and adjust the price per litre to match what you pay at the pump.

Does FuelCalc have live fuel prices?

Yes, FuelCalc has live fuel prices for six states and territories: NSW and Tasmania via the FuelCheck API, Queensland via FuelPricesQLD, Victoria via Fair Fuel, South Australia via FuelPricingInformation, and Western Australia via FuelWatch. This covers the vast majority of Australian fuel stations. You can always manually enter the exact price you are paying for the most accurate estimate.

Sydney to Melbourne Fuel Cost

Calculate your exact fuel cost from Sydney to Melbourne. 878km, ~9.5 hours drive. Compare costs with different vehicles and current fuel prices at FuelCalc.

Distance: 878 km | Drive time: ~9.5 hours

Route highlights

Blue Mountains National Park
Canberra ACT
Yass region
Albury-Wodonga twin cities
Hume Freeway scenic sections

What the Hume actually feels like to drive

The Hume Freeway (M31) runs dual carriageway for the full 878 km from Sydney's south-west to Melbourne's northern fringe. It isn't scenic in the postcard sense. It's efficient. After the climb out of Sydney through Campbelltown and the Southern Highlands escarpment, the road flattens into rolling farmland — Goulburn, Gunning, Yass, Jugiong — before the long descent into the Murray River valley at Albury-Wodonga.

The Victorian half feels faster because the climbing is done. From Wangaratta the terrain opens up and you can hold 110 km/h on cruise control most of the way to Seymour. Weekday morning traffic piles up between Sydney's Westlink M7 merge and Picton Road — budget an extra 30 minutes if you leave after 7am. The Melbourne end is worse: the M31 dumps into Craigieburn Road and then the Western Ring Road, which clags up badly on Sunday evenings as weekend trippers come home.

Fuel strategy — where the money actually gets saved

The big trap on this route is filling up at the freeway service centres. Mittagong and Marulan on the NSW side consistently sit 15–20 c/L above the state average — convenient, expensive. The saving comes from fuelling at Goulburn (250 km mark), Yass (350 km), or Albury (650 km), where regional prices run below both Sydney and Melbourne CBD rates.

Holbrook is the cheapest reliable fill on the entire route. The town sits between Albury and Tarcutta with three competing stations and is historically 10–15 c/L below the state average. Diesel utes and caravan rigs should plan to top up there regardless of tank level. Melbourne's outer north — Craigieburn, Wallan — is usually 5–8 c/L cheaper than inner-city VIC, so don't refuel in the CBD unless you're running on fumes.

How long the drive really takes

Google Maps says 9.5 hours. The honest figure for most drivers is 10.5 to 11 with proper breaks — one fuel stop, two coffees, a lunch stop, and at least one 15-minute leg stretch. Families with kids under ten should plan for 12 hours door-to-door.

The best day to drive it is Tuesday or Wednesday. Fewest caravans, no weekend traffic, fuel prices mid-cycle. The week either side of Easter is the worst — NSW school holidays push heavy caravan traffic south. ANZAC Day long weekend is similar. Summer construction on the Hume between Tarcutta and Gundagai has slowed things most years; check Live Traffic NSW the night before.

Most drivers who split the trip stop at Albury-Wodonga (Day 1: roughly 7 hours, Day 2: 3.5 hours). Albury has the better accommodation options and decent food — the Commercial Club is a Hume institution.

What's worth a detour

Canberra is a 40-minute side trip off the M31 via the Barton Highway at Yass. If you haven't been, the War Memorial alone earns the detour. Closer to Sydney, Berrima and Bowral in the Southern Highlands sit 20 minutes off the M31 at Mittagong — quieter than Leura or Katoomba with the same colonial-village feel.

On the Victorian side, Beechworth is 40 minutes east of the Hume at Wangaratta — Kelly country, gold-rush streetscape, and a bakery at the corner of Ford and Camp Street that's worth the petrol on its own. Rutherglen's wineries are another 25 minutes past that, north along the Murray.

Cost context — what the numbers actually mean

The on-page table shows fuel cost by vehicle type at current national-average pricing. A sedan averaging 7 L/100 km on ULP runs around $150 one-way. A diesel ute at 10 L/100 km lands closer to $240. A caravan rig pulling 15 L/100 km sits well over $350. Tolls on the Sydney–Melbourne run are zero — the M31 is toll-free end to end, which is unusual for an inter-capital route (compare the Pacific Highway run to Brisbane).

For an honest all-in trip cost, add about $40 for two coffees and a service-centre lunch, and $150–220 for one night in Albury if you're splitting the drive. That lands a solo-driver return trip at roughly $500 and a family-of-four return trip closer to $900 once the motel is counted in.

Places of Interest Between Sydney and Melbourne

Southern Highlands (Bowral & Berrima) (Town)

A 20-minute detour at Mittagong into cool-climate country. Berrima's sandstone streetscape is the oldest continuously used village in Australia; Bowral is Bradman's hometown and has the best café scene on the Hume.

15 min detour off M31 at Mittagong

Big Merino, Goulburn (Attraction)

The 15-metre-tall concrete ram on the Hume is one of Australia's most photographed Big Things. Free to enter, decent pie shop attached, and the public loos are a reliable Hume stop.

On route

Dog on the Tuckerbox, Gundagai (Historic Site)

Five miles from Gundagai, as the song goes. The bronze dog sits roadside with a bakery, café and servo — a traditional Hume halfway-house break almost exactly at the Sydney–Melbourne midpoint.

2 min off M31

Holbrook Submarine (Attraction)

A full-sized decommissioned submarine — HMAS Otway — sitting bizarrely on the Holbrook main street, 600km from any ocean. Free to view, free museum, and Holbrook's fuel prices are routinely the cheapest on the whole Hume.

On route

Glenrowan & Kelly Country (Historic Site)

Turn off the Hume at Glenrowan for the Ned Kelly siege site where the gang made their last stand in 1880. The oversized Kelly statue is kitsch; the walking trail through the historic site is genuinely moving.

2 min off M31

Beechworth (Town)

45 minutes east of Wangaratta. Gold-rush streetscape in original honey-coloured granite, the legendary Beechworth Bakery, and some of Victoria's best country pubs. Worth an overnight if you're splitting the drive.

40 min detour east of Hume at Wangaratta

Best Time to Drive Sydney to Melbourne

Tuesday–Wednesday offer the lightest traffic and mid-cycle fuel prices. Avoid the week either side of Easter (heavy caravan traffic south from NSW) and Sunday evenings into Melbourne (returning weekenders clog the Western Ring Road). Winter mornings past Holbrook can see ground frost — black ice is real in the Murray valley.

Local Tips for the Sydney to Melbourne Drive

The Hume's service-centre fuel is reliably 15–20 c/L above state averages — fill up at Goulburn, Yass, Holbrook or Albury instead. The Commercial Club in Albury is the classic Hume overnight stop. Free Wi-Fi at McDonald's Yass makes it a useful remote-work break if you're splitting the trip.

Driving Tips

The Hume Freeway (M31) is the main arterial—modern, well-maintained, and fastest. Stop at Goulburn's Big Merino for photos and cafes. Albury offers the cheapest fuel between Sydney and Melbourne. Consider overnight stop in Goulburn (3.5 hours from Sydney) to break up the drive. Toll-free route available via Marulan alternative.