South African motorists are set for another increase in fuel costs, with both petrol and diesel prices rising from Wednesday, 2 September 2026.

The increases come despite the rand gaining ground against the US dollar over the past month, as higher international crude oil prices placed renewed pressure on the local fuel price.

Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe announced the September fuel price adjustments on Monday, 31 August.

The new increases are:

• 93 and 95 petrol: up by 134 cents per litre
• Diesel 0.05% sulphur: up by 293.90 cents per litre
• Diesel 0.005% sulphur: up by 213 cents per litre

The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources said the main driver behind the increases was the sharp rise in global crude oil prices.

According to the department, the average price of Brent crude increased from $82.37 to $87.88 per barrel during the review period.

It attributed the higher oil price to continued tensions between the United States and Iran, uncertainty surrounding oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and rising international shipping costs.

International prices for refined petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin also increased during the month.

The department said supply constraints linked to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, together with lower global inventories of petroleum products, contributed to the higher international product prices.

As a result, these international market movements added significantly to the Basic Fuel Price calculations for petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin.

The stronger rand provided some relief.

The local currency strengthened from approximately R16.46 to R16.21 against the US dollar, reducing the rand-based contribution to the Basic Fuel Prices.

However, the currency improvement was not large enough to counter the impact of the increase in international oil and refined product prices.

Additional domestic pressures also contributed to the September increases, including the introduction of the Slate Levy and annual wage adjustments for fuel station forecourt employees.

The combined effect means motorists will face substantially higher fuel costs when the new prices take effect on Wednesday.

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