Canberrans hoping to fill up the tank before piling into the car and getting away for the long weekend could be better off waiting until they're out of the city to pull up to a bowser.
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While Canberra's fuel prices are well below those in Sydney, petrol price comparison apps show it could be worth doing your research before you pull into a servo.
PetrolSpy places the cheapest petrol in Canberra at about 108¢ for unleaded fuel at Metro Petroleum in Fyshwick, Canberra Airport Caltex, and Woolworths Caltex Petrol at Majura. Costco's petrol station had the cheapest fuel at about 105¢.
NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said at about 115¢, Canberra's average petrol price was far cheaper than Sydney right now.
"The average price in Canberra right now is 115.7, in Sydney right now is 127, so there is a pretty significant gap so I think the message is if you're heading up to Sydney this weekend you might want to fill up before you leave Canberra and it's not every day we say that," Mr Khoury said.
The long weekend coincides with the peak in Sydney's price cycle, with prices skyrocketing 15.7¢ from last week.
While average prices have declined about 3¢ in Sydney this week, Mr Khoury said prices won't hit the bottom of the cycle until about next week.
However petrol prices in Goulburn right now are sitting at about 103¢, so if you can stretch your tank that far you could save yourself some money.
"Goulburn is even cheaper, it's currently selling at 103 which is remarkable," Mr Khoury said.
The NRMA petrol app showed along the Kings Highway, unleaded petrol was sitting at 123.9¢ in Bungendore and about 119¢ in Braidwood.
Petrol down in Batemans Bay was hovering around the 111¢ mark heading into the three-day weekend.
For those who are prepared to do their research, Mr Khoury said "the savings are demonstrable".
"The conservative estimates the NRMA has done, you're talking about anywhere from $500 to $1000 a year that you could save just by finding the cheapest service station and filling up," Mr Khoury said.
"For families on a budget, it's a massive, massive difference. It's more significant than changes in interest rates, it's huge. If you think about it, after groceries, petrol is the other huge consistent cost to the family budget so it's a huge factor."
