Fuel prices will drop sharply across most categories from Wednesday, 7 January 2026, giving motorists and households some relief at the start of the new year.
Petrol prices in South Africa: Official adjustments from Wednesday, 7 January 2026
To kickstart the new year, petrol becomes about R0.60 to R0.70 cheaper per litre, depending on the grade, while Diesel sees the biggest relief, dropping by about R1.40 to R1.50 per litre at wholesale level.
The table below shows these new indicative prices from 7 January 2026:
Inland:
| TYPE | PRICE (p/l) | CHANGE |
| Petrol 95 | R20.75 | -R0.66 |
| Petrol 93 | R20.64 | -R0.62 |
| Diesel 0.05%* | R19.77 | -R1.37 |
| Diesel 0.005%* | R18.52 | -R1.50 |
Coastal
| TYPE | PRICE (p/l) | CHANGE |
| Petrol 95 | R19.92 | -R0.66 |
| Petrol 93 | R19.81 | -R0.62 |
| Diesel 0.05%* | R17.78 | -R1.37 |
| Diesel 0.005%* | R17.76 | -R1.50 |
Factors impacting fuel prices in January 2026
In simple terms, monthly fuel prices move mainly for two reasons. The first is what fuel costs on international markets. The second is what the rand is doing against the US dollar.
International fuel costs dropped
The notice states that average international product prices for petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin decreased during the review period.
When those global prices fall, the “base” cost of fuel used in South Africa’s pricing model also falls. That is why petrol, diesel and paraffin are all cheaper from 7 January.
The rand strengthened, which makes imports cheaper
Fuel is priced in US dollars. A stronger rand means South Africa needs fewer rands to buy the same amount of fuel.
The notice says the average rand/US dollar exchange rate improved to 16.8485 compared with 17.2343 in the previous period.
It also quantifies the impact. The stronger rand lowered the basic fuel price contribution by 20.798c/l on petrol, 22.116c/l on diesel and 22.540c/l on illuminating paraffin.
Paraffin’s official maximum retail cap also comes down
For households that buy illuminating paraffin at retail level, the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) confirmed the Single Maximum National Retail Price (SMNRP) drops to 1,598.00 c/l in January, from 1,746.00 c/l in the previous pricing period.
That is a decrease of 148c/l, or about R1.5 per litre.
No slate levy is added to petrol and diesel
The slate levy is an extra charge that can be used when the system has built up a large cumulative under-recovery.
For this month, the slate levy remains 0.00c/l for petrol and diesel.
Why 95 and 93 petrol prices can look different across zones
The DMPR notice flags an adjustment to the octane differential between 95 and 93.
It says this differential is adjusted on the first Wednesday of each quarter, and the change means 95 and 93 retail prices will differ in each fuel-pricing zone from 7 January 2026.
In everyday terms, this is one reason you can see slightly different relationships between 95 and 93 prices depending on where you fill up.
Why LPG rises even while petrol and diesel fall
LPG pricing follows its own structure.
In this update, the maximum retail price for LPGAS increases by 21c/kg (about R0.2/kg).
The notice also includes a higher refinery gate price for LPG imported through the Port of Saldanha Bay compared with the standard maximum refinery gate price.
