Petrol 95 (Inland)
Recommended retail price per litre for 95 ULP in Gauteng (inland). Set monthly by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy.
This index is up +5.4% — prices are rising faster than CPI (3.1%).
Petrol 95 (inland) sits at R28.06 a litre in June 2026, up 5.4% on the month — a fresh squeeze on every household that drives, takes a taxi, or buys anything that arrives by truck.
What this number actually measures
The figure on the card above — R28.06 a litre — is the recommended retail price for 95 unleaded petrol in the inland (Gauteng) zone for June 2026. It is not a guess or an average we scraped together. It is the official price set once a month by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), working off calculations from the Central Energy Fund.
Inland and coastal prices differ because fuel has to be moved from the refineries and import terminals on the coast up to Gauteng. That transport cost is built into the inland price, which is why a driver in Johannesburg almost always pays more than one in Durban for the same 95 unleaded. We track the inland price because Gauteng is where the largest share of the country's drivers, taxis and freight sit.
Petrol is one of the few prices in the country that moves for everyone at the same time, on the same day, by the same amount. When it changes, the whole economy feels it within weeks — which is exactly why we watch it.
What is driving the move this month
The rise to R28.06 comes down to two forces the DMRE weighs every month, and neither is fully in South Africa's hands.
The first is the global oil price. South Africa imports most of its crude and refined fuel, so what we pay is anchored to international markets — and those are priced in US dollars. When global oil firms up, our pump price tends to follow.
The second is the rand. Because the bill is settled in dollars, a weaker rand makes every imported litre more expensive even if the oil price itself stands still. When both move against us in the same review period, the price climbs sharply — and that is the broad shape of an increase like this one.
Layered on top are the fixed components that don't change month to month but make up a big slice of the total: the General Fuel Levy and the Road Accident Fund levy, both set by National Treasury, plus distribution and retail margins. These are the reason the pump price never drops as far as a falling oil price might suggest — a large, fixed chunk of every R28.06 is tax and regulated margin.
- •Global oil price (dollar-denominated, imported)
- •The rand-dollar exchange rate over the review period
- •Fixed levies: the General Fuel Levy and Road Accident Fund levy
- •Distribution costs and the regulated retail margin
What R28.06 means for a household budget
A 5.4% increase sounds small until you put a rand figure on it. Filling a 50-litre tank at R28.06 a litre costs about R1,403 — and the same tank cost roughly R72 less last month. Do that fill twice a month and you are spending close to R145 more than you were in May, every month, just to keep the same car on the same roads.
The bigger story is the knock-on effect. Petrol doesn't only hit people who own cars. Minibus taxi fares track the fuel price closely, so the millions of South Africans who commute by taxi feel an increase like this even if they never visit a forecourt. And almost everything on a shop shelf — bread, maize meal, milk, fresh produce — arrives by diesel truck, so a sustained fuel rise feeds into the PMBEJD food basket and grocery bills a few weeks down the line.
That is why a single line on a petrol board matters far beyond the petrol station. It is one of the cleanest early signals of where the broader cost of living is heading.
Practical ways people soften the hit
None of this is advice on what you should do with your money — the site carries a disclaimer for a reason. But it is worth knowing the levers ordinary households actually pull when the pump price climbs, because most of them cost nothing to try.
The cheapest litre is the one you don't burn. Combining errands into a single trip, keeping tyres at the correct pressure, easing off hard acceleration and clearing dead weight out of the boot all shave real money off a monthly fuel bill. Lift clubs and splitting a commute with a colleague spread the cost of the same distance across more people.
Some drivers also plan bigger trips around the monthly adjustment. The fuel price changes on the first Wednesday of each month, and the expected move is usually well reported in the days before. When an increase is on the cards, filling up beforehand locks in the old rate for one more tank. It is a small saving, but on a R1,403 fill it is not nothing.
- •Combine errands into one trip instead of several short drives
- •Keep tyres properly inflated and remove unnecessary boot weight
- •Share the commute through a lift club to split the cost
- •Fill up before the first Wednesday when an increase is on the cards
Frequently asked questions
Why does inland petrol cost more than at the coast?⌄
Fuel arrives at refineries and import terminals on the coast and then has to be moved inland to Gauteng. That added transport cost is built into the inland price, so the R28.06 a litre paid in Gauteng is a little higher than the coastal price for the same 95 unleaded.
Who decides the R28.06 price and how often does it change?⌄
The price is set by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), based on calculations from the Central Energy Fund. It is reviewed and adjusted once a month, with the new price normally taking effect on the first Wednesday.
Why didn't the price fall when I heard oil was getting cheaper?⌄
A large, fixed share of every litre is tax and regulated margin — the General Fuel Levy, the Road Accident Fund levy, distribution costs and the retail margin. These don't fall with the oil price, so the pump price moves far less than the raw cost of crude. The rand-dollar exchange rate also has to move in your favour at the same time.
I don't own a car — does this increase still affect me?⌄
Yes. Minibus taxi fares closely follow the fuel price, and almost all goods are delivered by diesel truck. A sustained rise like this one tends to push up transport fares and grocery prices over the following weeks, so the effect reaches households that never buy petrol directly.
How much does the 5.4% rise add to a normal tank?⌄
At R28.06 a litre, a full 50-litre tank costs about R1,403 — roughly R72 more than the same tank cost last month. For a household that fills up twice a month, that is around R145 in extra spending every month for the same driving.