Motorists across South Africa woke up to cheaper fuel this morning, with the Department of Petroleum and Mineral Resources confirming price cuts that take effect from Wednesday, 1 July 2026. Petrol 93 falls by R2.01 a litre and Petrol 95 by R1.96, while diesel drops by between R3.14 and R3.59 a litre at wholesale level.
Inland, a litre of 95 unleaded now costs R26.10, down from R28.06 in June, while 93 unleaded eases to R25.94. Coastal motorists pay R25.23 for 95. Illuminating paraffin, a lifeline fuel for many households, tumbles by R5.23 a litre. The one outlier is liquefied petroleum gas in Gauteng, which edges up 16 cents a kilogram.
What is driving the relief
The cuts follow a sharp retreat in global oil prices. The average Brent crude price used in the calculation fell from about $104.59 to $86.53 a barrel over the review period, after a ceasefire between the United States and Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz and eased fears of supply disruption. A firmer rand helped too: the currency averaged R16.38 to the dollar, stronger than the R16.52 of the previous period, trimming the cost of imported fuel.
The catch: levy relief is over
The saving at the pump would have been larger were it not for the National Treasury fully phasing out its temporary fuel-levy relief. Around R1.50 a litre has been added back to petrol and R1.97 to diesel, effectively halving the over-recovery. The full general fuel levy has been reinstated at 429 cents a litre on petrol and 416 cents on diesel, while a lower slate levy of 113.94 cents a litre, down from 157.74 cents, softened the blow slightly.
For households already bracing for higher electricity, water and rates bills from July, the fuel cut offers welcome breathing room — even if the return of the full levy means drivers are not feeling the entire benefit of cheaper oil.
