1171 weeks · April 2004 to September 2026
Petrol price history
Regular 91 averaged 118.8c a litre in 2004, MBIE's first part-year, and 298.1c so far in 2026. The dearest single week was 10 April 2026, at 346.8c.
The whole record
Open a year
Twenty-two years in a few lines
The yearly 91 average more than doubled across the record, from 118.8c in 2004 to 298.1c in 2026. The steepest yearly rise came in 2022, +47.2c on the year before; the deepest fall in 2009, −20.8c.
Three things explain most of the path. Crude oil and the exchange rate set the import cost, and they swing the most. Tax moves in steps, and each step shows up in MBIE's file in the week it reached the pump: excise rises between 2009 and 2020, GST going from 12.5% to 15% in October 2010, the Emissions Trading Scheme from July 2010, Auckland's regional fuel tax from 2018 to 2024 and the 25c cut of 2022 and 2023. The margin moves more slowly and is tracked on its own page.
Figures are nominal, not adjusted for inflation. Each year page lists every week with 91, 95 and diesel, the high and low, the biggest weekly moves and the split between tax, cost and margin. The current week is on 91, 95 and diesel this week; the margin series is on MBIE's importer margin series.
Yearly averages
| Year | 91 | 95 | Diesel | 91 vs year before | Dubai US$/bbl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 298.1 | 312.9 | 266.9 | +39.4c | 91 |
| 2025 | 258.7 | 274.0 | 189.8 | −7.2c | 69 |
| 2024 | 265.9 | 283.2 | 199.3 | +3.0c | 80 |
| 2023 | 262.9 | 280.9 | 213.7 | −5.7c | 82 |
| 2022 | 268.6 | 285.9 | 243.5 | +47.2c | 96 |
| 2021 | 221.4 | 239.2 | 147.5 | +29.9c | 69 |
| 2020 | 191.5 | 208.6 | 120.8 | −18.4c | 42 |
| 2019 | 209.8 | 224.3 | 145.1 | −0.4c | 63 |
| 2018 | 210.2 | 224.1 | 143.4 | +21.9c | 69 |
| 2017 | 188.3 | 203.4 | 117.8 | +12.1c | 53 |
| 2016 | 176.2 | 190.5 | 101.1 | −12.6c | 41 |
| 2015 | 188.9 | 201.5 | 114.8 | −20.0c | 51 |
| 2014 | 208.8 | 220.2 | 141.7 | −1.4c | 97 |
| 2013 | 210.3 | 220.7 | 147.1 | +0.9c | 106 |
| 2012 | 209.4 | 219.3 | 150.2 | +3.5c | 109 |
| 2011 | 205.9 | 214.4 | 148.6 | +29.2c | 106 |
| 2010 | 176.7 | 184.3 | 117.2 | +16.4c | 78 |
| 2009 | 160.3 | 166.7 | 102.0 | −20.8c | 61 |
| 2008 | 181.2 | 185.7 | 145.5 | +26.7c | 94 |
| 2007 | 154.4 | 159.9 | 104.6 | −0.7c | 68 |
| 2006 | 155.1 | 160.0 | 113.1 | +22.8c | 61 |
| 2005 | 132.3 | 137.6 | 90.1 | +13.5c | 49 |
| 2004 | 118.8 | 123.8 | 76.5 | – | 35 |
Straight answers
What is the record petrol price in NZ?
346.8c for 91, MBIE's weekly national average dated 10 Apr 2026; diesel's record weekly average is 381.0c, dated 17 Apr 2026.
How much was petrol in 2004?
91 averaged 118.8c a litre over the weeks MBIE recorded in 2004, from late April.