SA motorists scramble to beat WORST fuel price increases yet

We all knew it was coming, but now it’s official – SA motorists face the highest-ever fuel prices on record. Confirmed October 2026 increases – effective from Wednesday 7 October 2026 – added R3.24/litre to 50 ppm diesel, taking it to R33.29/litre (inland). This represents the sharpest single-month hike so far, edging out September’s R3.15/litre jump.

Meanwhile, SA motorists with petrol-powered vehicles didn’t escape the crush. Petrol 95 grade will increase by R3.33/litre, taking it to a new high of R30.25/litre (inland). As such, vehicle owners have had a brutal year, and it’s been absolutely out of their control, due to events 10 000-km away in the Strait of Hormuz.

SA MOTORISTS BEING CRUSHED IN 2026

So, let’s rewind to 28 February 2026, when the first sortie of US-Israeli strikes on Iran triggered what’s now dubbed the Iran war. Iran responded by declaring the Strait of Hormuz closed, a waterway that one fifth of the world’s oil passes through. Brent crude, sitting around $70 a barrel before the war, spiked immediately above $100. And that was just the beginning …

• 7 January 2026 was the cheapest diesel price before the war, R17.76/litre coast, R18.52/litre inland.
• From tomorrow, 7 October 2026, following the DMPR’s confirmed increase , it will be R32.03/litre coast, R33.29/litre inland.
• This equates to an overall increase of R14.27/litre coast, R14.77/litre inland.
• That’s what an 80% jump looks like.

And what about petrol?

• Likewise, the petrol price before the war was R19.92/litre coast, R20.75 inland.
• From tomorrow, this will be R29.38/litre coast, R30.25/litre inland.
• This equates to an overall increase of R9.47/litre coast, R9.50/litre inland.
• That’s what a 47% jump looks like.

WHAT IT COSTS TO FILL UP YOUR DIESEL BAKKIE

The vast majority of goods and services are transported by diesel-powered vehicles. As such, SA motorists with diesel double-cab bakkies have been hit hardest in 2026:

• Coastal fill-up in January vs October 2026: R1 420.80 vs R2 562.40 (R1 141.60 more).
• Inland fill-up in January vs October 2026: R1 481.60 vs R2 663.20 (R1 181.60 more).

That’s well over R1 100 more to fill the same tank than at the start of the year. And depending on your mileage, some SA motorists might average a refill every week. So, R4 400 more per month to cover the same mileage. No wonder your bank account is looking so empty at the end of every month.  

Moreover, the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources says it is no longer able to soften the blow with any reduction in fuel levies or other relief measure. Perhaps it is finally time to start making serious enquiries about the latest breed of petrol and new-energy vehicles out there.

But what do you think? How can SA motorists soften the blow of these record fuel-price increases? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below …