Standard to Premium Petrol Difference—6 to 8 now 10

As I think I might have mentioned in a previous posting at some time, I have a 2005 Subaru Forester XT. The XT means it has a turbo, and having a turbo, as do all petrol fuelled turbo vehicles I know of, it requires petrol rated at 95 RON or higher. I can tell you from the one time I accidentally put about 30 litres of 91 RON in the tank that it does not run very well at all on the lower octane petrol.

In Australia 95 RON petrol is typically called “Premium”, although some petrol vendors have other fancy marketing names for it.

When I first bought the Forester the difference in cost between standard 91 RON petrol (that would be ‘gas’ to my American readers) and 95 RON Premium was six cents. The difference remained at six cents for many years.

Then about the beginning of last year the difference went up to eight cents. It happened without a word being said. There was nothing in the papers. If there was I missed it. There was nothing on the television news or post-news news. If there was I missed it. And there was nothing on the Web-based news sites such as PerthNow, News.com, TheAustralian, or the Financial Review. If there was I missed it, and as I spend way too much time on the Web—basically all time not at work, eating, or asleep—it is pretty darn unlikely that I would have missed it anywhere obvious on the Web.

So this evening I went down to fill my car up for the run to work tomorrow, which for me is about 200 kilometres and takes about two hours and 20 minutes with one short stretch break about half way.

What do you know!! Standard petrol was $1.519 per litre and Premium was $1.619. The difference has gone to ten cents!

This is a Coles Shell petrol station if anyone is asking about now “Where was that?”

So, once again, without any hint or advanced notice—nothing on the news and nothing in the weekend papers—one large petrol vendor at least has increased the gap between standard and premium grade petrol by another two cents.

It will be interesting to see if the gap stays at ten cents or goes back to eight cents at some point, but if I were a betting man I would have my money on it remaining at ten cents now they have snuck it in.