Week to 25 Sep 2026 · national average
Diesel price NZ
A litre of diesel averaged $3.081 in the week to Friday 25 September, +21.1c on the week. Light diesel vehicles also pay $76 per 1,000 km in road user charges.
Diesel at each terminal gate
| Terminal | BP 91 | BP diesel | Z 91 | Z diesel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marsden Point | 343.9+6.2c | 308.0+5.5c | 335.5 | 291.8 |
| Wiri | 345.5+6.2c | 310.2+5.5c | 337.2 | 294.0 |
| Mount Maunganui | 346.2+6.2c | 309.2+5.7c | 335.1 | 290.8 |
| Napier | 346.8+6.2c | 309.7+5.7c | 337.1 | 290.1 |
| New Plymouth | 347.5+6.3c | 309.6+5.7c | – | – |
| Seaview | 346.9+6.2c | 309.9+5.7c | 336.6 | 292.3 |
| Nelson | – | 310.1+5.7c | 337.1 | 292.8 |
| Lyttelton | 351.6+6.3c | 311.0+5.7c | 335.1 | 290.8 |
| Timaru | – | – | 337.4 | 293.1 |
| Dunedin | 351.1+6.3c | 310.4+5.7c | 337.2 | 292.9 |
Why diesel has its own page
Diesel is the fuel of trucks, farm machinery, utes and most campervans, and it is taxed differently from petrol. At the pump it carries 0.9c a litre of levies, 13.9c for the Emissions Trading Scheme and GST on top. Regular 91 carries 77.2c of excise and levies. The road tax a diesel vehicle owes is paid separately as road user charges, bought in advance in blocks of 1,000 km.
So the pump price tells half the story. A light diesel vehicle doing 1,000 km pays $76 in RUC, 7.6c a kilometre, before a drop of fuel is burned. road user charges for diesel and EVs sets RUC against petrol excise kilometre by kilometre, and the the fill-up calculator adds RUC to any diesel trip.
At the gate, diesel is cheapest at Marsden Point (308.0c) and dearest at Lyttelton (311.0c) on BP's 6 October 2026 list. Z Energy's list of 7 October 2026 averaged 292.1c, +0.9c on its week before.
Diesel since 2021
What drove diesel this year
Diesel reached 381.0c in the week to 17 April 2026, the highest weekly average in MBIE's series, which starts in 2004. Its import cost peaked at 345.7c in the week to 3 April 2026, when the war in the Gulf cut refined diesel supply into the Asian markets New Zealand buys from. Diesel then fell faster than petrol through the winter.
This week MBIE estimates diesel's import cost at 218.4c and its margin at 34.7c (13-week trend 36.9c). The year-ago price was 186.9c, in the week to 26 September 2025.
A litre of diesel, line by line
Litre of diesel, national average · week to 25 Sep 2026
| Import cost | 218.4c |
|---|---|
| Importer margin | 34.7c |
| Levies (no excise) | 0.9c |
| ETS carbon cost | 13.9c |
| GST at 15% | 40.2c |
| Pump price after discounts | 308.1c |
|---|
Straight answers
What is the diesel price in NZ this week?
$3.081 a litre on average in the week to 25 September 2026 (MBIE), with a board price of $3.110.
Do I pay road user charges on top of the diesel price?
Yes. A light diesel vehicle pays $76 per 1,000 km including GST, bought in advance from NZTA or its agents.
Why did diesel cost more than petrol in April 2026?
Diesel import costs rose faster than petrol's during the Middle East war; MBIE's weekly diesel average peaked at 381.0c in the week to 17 April 2026.