Petrol prices drop slightly across South Australia, but driving for a bargain might be a more expensive exercise

We’ve found the best deals on petrol prices – but before you charge out to fill up, make sure it’s worth your while.

There is always a temptation to drive out of your way for the best price for fuel, but is it actually a cheaper exercise?

We’ve done the maths and the numbers suggest you should think twice before embarking on a journey to X Convenience Gepps Cross where unleaded 91 costs 194.9c/L.

If your vehicle requires 45 litres to fill up, it will cost you $86.80 at the northern suburbs service station.

Across most suburbs in metropolitan Adelaide you can find unleaded 91 fuel at 209.9c/L, which will cost you an extra $7.66 to fill up.

It’s still a saving though, right? Well, not exactly.

The average passenger vehicle in Australia uses around 11.1L per 100km.

So unless your round trip is under 36km, which would use around 4L of fuel, it actually isn’t worth it.

That 4L would cost you an extra $7.72 anyway and you probably just wasted 45 minutes of your time getting there and back!

Even if your trip is half the distance, you’re still only saving yourself the price of a loaf of bread.

The 209.9c/L price tag might sting, but save yourself the drive elsewhere.

South Australian motorists enjoyed a slight reprieve in the cost of petrol on Wednesday as prices fell to below $2 in several parts of the state, but experts say more relief is on the way.

The cheapest price in metropolitan Adelaide can be found at X Convenience Gepps Cross where unleaded 91 costs 194.9c/L.

The same service station boasted the cheapest price last Wednesday, but at the much dearer mark of 209c/L.

Most outlets across Adelaide are offering a range of prices between 210c/L and 215c/L.

Some motorists will consider it a bargain after prices peaked at well above 220c/L earlier this month.

But RAA fuel expert Mark Borlace said motorists should actually hold off filling up their tanks.

“My advice would be just to buy what you need to get around, but wait a couple of days to fill up completely,” he said.

“We expect that price to get back to around that 190c/L across the board because that demand left by Russia is starting to get filled by other markets.”

He said it was unusual that prices had stayed at such a high mark for almost a fortnight.

“Our trends suggest the price should have already come back by now,” he said.

“Some of the independent companies have broke ranks, so as there driveways start to fill up, some of the bigger outlets will start to bring their prices down.”

For those venturing out of the city, three different service stations at Murray Bridge are offering prices under $2/L.

Mount Gambier residents will also have no trouble finding petrol below the $2/L mark at several service stations across the regional city.

Matthews Petroleum is the cheapest at 196.9c/L.

Early forecasts suggested prices could soar to $3/L in Adelaide, Mr Borlace said that was now unlikely.

“That underlying pressure on the market has subsided and that demand is now being satisfied by supply,” he said.

“If we were to see a peace settlement in Ukraine and that ban was lifted in Russia, we could even see a situation where there’s an oversupply and those prices come right down.”

Fuel prices in other countries around the globe have already exceeded the $3 mark.

In Hong Kong, the average fuel price is 389c/L.

The United Kingdom is just a few cents short of the dreaded $3 mark at 297c/L.

In light of the more expensive fuel prices, e-scooter trips have seen a spike.

Head of Australia and New Zealand, Neuron Mobility, Richard Hannah said there has been a 15.4 per cent increase in e-scooter trips across Australia over the past fortnight.

“With increasing petrol prices, and the reduced availability of fuel, people are certainly considering how they travel,” Mr Hannah said.

“Already we are seeing our e-scooter trips continuing to increase in Adelaide and we expect this number to continue if petrol prices continue to rise.

“Over the last two weeks we’ve seen an uplift in demand and we are carefully watching how, and where, our e-scooters are being used and responding accordingly.”