Tumut Petrol Price Check: Are Local Drivers Being Ripped Off?

A two-cent difference on a Tumut price board barely buys a jelly snake. A nine-cent gap on premium diesel, however, starts to look rather more serious when the ute takes 80 litres.

Prices checked Tuesday, 18 August 2026. Our comparison used reported NSW FuelCheck data displayed through FuelRadar. The station panels had synchronised roughly 21 minutes before the research check, though fuel prices can change whenever a retailer updates the board.

The short answer is that Tumut was not the cheapest place in the district for every fuel. But local drivers were not facing an enormous U91 penalty either — and making a special run to Gundagai, Wagga Wagga or Canberra would generally burn more money than it saved.

Every reported Tumut fuel price

Five Tumut outlets appeared across the available fuel grades: Mobil Five Ways Servo Tumut, EG Ampol Tumut, TASCO Tumut Adelong Road, Shell Reddy Express Tumut and the diesel-only Tumut Fuels listing.

Here was the reported local board when checked:

A dash means that grade was not listed in the dataset, not necessarily that it can never be sold there.

Cheapest in Tumut by fuel

• U91: Mobil Five Ways Servo Tumut — 206.9c/L
• E10: Mobil Five Ways Servo Tumut — 204.9c/L
• Diesel: Tumut Fuels — 249.9c/L
• Premium 95: EG Ampol Tumut — 224.9c/L
• Premium 98: Mobil Five Ways Servo Tumut — 229.9c/L

Mobil Five Ways had the broadest collection of category wins, although comparing grades matters more than comparing logos. Someone needing diesel had a different cheapest stop from someone filling with U91, and 95 was reported at only one Tumut station.

What does the price spread cost at the bowser?

Tumut’s U91 market was tightly grouped. The difference between the cheapest and dearest report was just 2c/L.

That is still worth checking, particularly over a year of regular filling, but it is not a reason to cross town in a panic.

The larger local gap was premium diesel. Mobil Five Ways was reported at 249.9c/L and EG Ampol at 258.9c/L — a 9c/L spread. That equals $4.50 on 50 litres, $5.40 on 60 litres and $7.20 on an 80-litre fill.

Premium 98 also had room to shop around. The reported gap between 229.9c/L and 235.9c/L added up to $3 on 50 litres, $3.60 on 60 litres or $4.80 on 80 litres.

Is Tumut dearer than nearby towns?

For U91, yes — compared with the cheapest confirmed Gundagai report.

Mobil Gundagai was listed at 199.5c/L, which was 7.4c below Mobil Five Ways in Tumut. South Gundagai averaged closer to Tumut, while Adelong’s sole reported U91 price was 208.9c/L, two cents dearer than Tumut’s cheapest.

Coolac also showed a low of 199.5c/L in the nearby-area comparison. That may be useful if it is already on the day’s route, but it is not a sensible standalone petrol expedition from Tumut.

Reliable, like-for-like station data for Wagga Wagga and Canberra could not be confirmed at the same research timestamp, so they have not been forced into the table using mismatched or stale figures. Both are far enough away that the travel-cost test is decisive anyway: a dedicated return trip would require an exceptional price difference to break even.

The Gundagai test: cheap fuel, expensive detour

At 7.4c/L cheaper, filling at Gundagai instead of Tumut produces these gross savings:

• 50 litres: $3.70
• 60 litres: $4.44
• 80 litres: $5.92

Now allow roughly 70 kilometres for a Tumut–Gundagai return run. A vehicle using 8L/100km would burn about 5.6 litres. At Tumut’s cheapest U91 price, that fuel costs approximately $11.60.

In other words, even an 80-litre fill would leave the driver around $5.70 worse off before counting time, tyre wear or the inevitable snack acquired during a servo stop.

The calculation changes if Gundagai is already on the route. Anyone heading towards the Hume Highway can pocket the lower price without manufacturing a special journey. The same rule applies to Wagga and Canberra: fill there if the trip is happening anyway, not because a distant price board looks attractive on a phone.

Prices have risen — and excise is part of the story

Tumut’s reported U91 average was about 6.5c/L above its 30-day average when checked. Diesel was roughly 14.5c/L above its 30-day average, while E10 and 95 were also sitting above their recent averages.

The timing matters. The federal government introduced substantial temporary fuel-excise relief from 1 April 2026. The combined reduction was about 32c/L through April, May and June, before being wound back to 16c/L from 1 July to 2 August.

That remaining relief ended on 3 August 2026, returning fuel excise to its pre-conflict setting. Restoring 16c of excise can translate to roughly 17.6c at retail once GST is considered, although it does not necessarily appear on every board immediately or in one neat movement.

Retailers sell fuel bought at different times, and pump prices are also shaped by international refined-fuel benchmarks, the Australian dollar, freight and local competition. Excise explains some of the recent lift; it does not explain every cent.

So, are Tumut drivers being ripped off?

The data does not establish that.

Tumut’s cheapest U91 was 6.1c above the NSW average and 7.4c above Gundagai’s cheapest station. That is unwelcome, particularly when local households depend heavily on cars, but it is not an extraordinary regional gap — and Tumut’s own four U91 retailers were separated by only two cents.

Diesel deserves closer attention. Local diesel was well above its 30-day average, and premium diesel had a nine-cent difference between the two reported sellers. Drivers with larger tanks have a genuine reason to compare before filling.

Where is cheapest right now?

For U91: Mobil Five Ways Servo Tumut at 206.9c/L.

For E10: Mobil Five Ways Servo Tumut at 204.9c/L.

For regular diesel: Tumut Fuels at 249.9c/L.

For 95: EG Ampol Tumut at 224.9c/L.

For 98: Mobil Five Ways Servo Tumut at 229.9c/L.

Gundagai had cheaper U91 at 199.5c/L, but not cheaply enough to justify a dedicated return trip. Check Tumut fuel prices immediately before leaving, compare the exact grade your vehicle requires, and treat an out-of-town bargain as worthwhile only when the town is already on the route.