When is petrol going up? On Wednesday, the 7 October 2026, South African motorists will face a major record price hikes at the petrol pump. Due to the current American-Iran war’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices have been steadily increasing, putting extra pressure on South African consumers.

If you are checking how much a litre of petrol costs in South Africa following recent eNCA petrol cost increase reports, here are the official fuel price adjustments:

• Petrol 93 (ULP & LRP): R3.12 increase per litre
• Petrol 95 (ULP &LRP): R3.33 increase per litre
• Diesel (0.05% sulphur): R2.84 increase per litre (wholesale)
• Diesel (0.005% sulphur): R3.24 increase per litre (wholesale)
• Illuminating Paraffin (wholesale): R3.58 increase per litre
• Single Maximum National Retail Price for Illuminating Paraffin: R4.77 increase.
• Maximum Retail Price of LPGas: 42c increase and 48c increase in the Western Cape.

According to the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources:

 “The average Brent Crude oil price increased from 87.89 US Dollars (USD) to 101 USD during the period under review.”

What is the Price of Petrol in South Africa and How Did We Get Here?

South Africa’s fuel mix comes from importing raw oil from Nigeria, Angola, and Saudi Arabia; historically this oil is then processed domestically, but many local refineries are closing or are simply unmaintained, resulting in increased reliance on importing already processed fuel from the Middle East, which is bought using dollars. This is where South Africa’s oil reserves are meant to shield the country from sudden volatility. South Africa currently has 6.9 million barrels of oil in its reserves, which is around 30 days of national demand, woefully less than the 90 days global standards suggest.