Fuel prices are increasing from Wednesday, 4 March 2026, with petrol, diesel, illuminating paraffin and LPG all moving up for the month ahead.
- Petrol 93 and 95 rise by R0.20 per litre.
- Diesel jumps by R0.62 to R0.65 per litre (wholesale).
- Paraffin and LPG also increase, with paraffin’s national retail cap moving higher too
Petrol prices in South Africa: Official adjustments from Wednesday, 4 March 2026
Petrol becomes more expensive across both grades. Petrol 93 and petrol 95 will each increase by 20 cents per litre from Wednesday, which is R0.20 more per litre.
Diesel climbs faster than petrol this month. Diesel 0.05% sulphur increases by 62 cents per litre, while diesel 0.005% sulphur increases by 65 cents per litre (about R0.65).
Illuminating paraffin is also going up. The wholesale price increases by 44 cents per litre, and the Single Maximum National Retail Price (SMNRP) increases by 58 cents per litre.
LPG becomes more expensive too. The maximum retail price for LPGAS increases by 23 cents per kilogram.
The table below shows these new indicative prices from 4 March 2026, based on the official adjustments. (Inland prices reflect Gauteng, while coastal reflects major coastal pricing zones.)
Note: Diesel prices are recommendations based on monthly adjustments. The diesel retail price is not regulated. Therefore, the final price listed may not always match what you see at petrol stations.
Inland:
| TYPE | PRICE (p/l) | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol 95 | R20.30 | +R0.20 |
| Petrol 93 | R20.19 | +R0.20 |
| Diesel 0.05%* | R18.54 | +R0.62 |
| Diesel 0.005%* | R18.62 | +R0.65 |
Coastal:
| TYPE | PRICE (p/l) | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol 95 | R19.47 | +R0.20 |
| Petrol 93 | R19.36 | +R0.20 |
| Diesel 0.05%* | R17.71 | +R0.62 |
| Diesel 0.005%* | R17.84 | +R0.65 |
Factors impacting fuel prices in March 2026
South Africa’s fuel price changes mainly come down to two moving parts: international fuel costs and the rand/dollar exchange rate.
For this review period, the CEF says the average international product prices for petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin increased.
When international prices rise, it usually pushes up the “base” portion of local pricing, because South Africa buys most fuel components at global, dollar-based prices.
The rand did move in the other direction, which helped a bit. The CEF notes that the rand strengthened against the US dollar, with the average exchange rate improving to R15.9959/$ (from R16.3054/$ in the previous period).
In simple terms, a stronger rand means South Africa needs fewer rands to buy the same dollar-priced fuel. The CEF estimates this reduced the BFP contribution by 16.959 c/l on petrol, 19.200 c/l on diesel, and 19.207 c/l on illuminating paraffin.
Even with that exchange-rate help, the increase in international product prices outweighed it. The CEF’s breakdown shows the period ending in an under-recovery that needed to be corrected through the new month’s increases (for example, petrol 95 reflects an under-recovery of 20.568 c/l, diesel 0.05% 62.163 c/l, diesel 0.005% 65.070 c/l, and paraffin wholesale 44.598 c/l).
For households that buy paraffin, there is also a clear marker in the official notice: the SMNRP increases to 1,587.00 c/lfor 4–31 March, up from 1,529.00 c/l in the previous period.
On the levy side, the notice confirms the slate levy remains at 0.00 c/l for petrol and diesel from 4 March. That means there is no additional slate levy being added to prices for this adjustment.
For LPG, the CEF includes the maximum refinery gate price for the month and also notes a higher level for LPG imported via the Port of Saldanha Bay, which can affect the LPG price structure even when petrol and diesel are driven by different product markets.
