petrol price analysis north-eastern suburbs of adelaide ...€¦ · petrol price analysis –...

Petrol Price Analysis – North-Eastern Suburbs of Adelaide (Wednesday morning 26 February 2020)

Time Retailer Location MotorMouth Price MM Screenshot Price@Pump Price Board Photo

10:06am X-Convenience N.E. Rd Valley View

139.9

139.9

10:08am OTR N.E. Rd

Holden Hill Nth 142.3

142.3

10:10am

OTR N.E. Rd Holden Hill Sth

142.9

139.9



10:12 Caltex N.E. Rd Holden Hill

143.9

143.9

10:14 Caltex

Woolworths N.E. Rd & Sudholz Rd Gilles Plains

137.9

137.9

10:17 Coles Express N.E. Rd &

Sudholz Rd Windsor Gdns

140.9

140.9



10:21am OTR N.E. Rd Hillcrest

143.6

139.9

10:23am Liberty N.E. Rd

Windsor Gdns 137.9

137.9

10:25am X-Convenience N.E. Rd

Klemzig 137.9

135.9



10:26am OTR N.E. Rd & Fosters Rd Greenacres

143.9

139.9

10:31am Coles Express O.G. Rd

Klemzig 139.9

137.9

10:31am X-Convenience O.G. Rd

Klemzig 137.9

135.9



10:34am Liberty O.G. Rd Klemzig

n/a

144.9

10:40am Caltex

Woolworths Payneham Rd Felixstow

154.9

154.9

10:46am BP St Bernards Rd

Hectorville 154.9

154.9



10:46am Coles Express St Bernards Rd & Montacute Rd Hectorville

154.9

154.9

10:51am Caltex Lower N.E. Rd

Campbelltown 157.0

157.0

10:55am OTR Gorge Rd

Newton 157.9

153.9



11:00am OTR Gorge Rd Athelstone

156.9

153.6

11:07am OTR Lower N.E. Rd

Dernancourt 150.9

143.9

11:20am OTR N.E. Rd

Modbury 143.9

140.3



11:30am Coles Express

Montague Rd Modbury North

144.9

144.9

# Lower prices than MotorMth 10/22 Average: 144.3363636

# Not listed on MotorMouth 1/22 North River Mean: 140.3875 (All stations North of the River Torrens)

# Correct reported price 11/22(50%) South River Mean: 154.8666667 (All stations South of the River Torrens)

Point in Fuel Cycle

At the “Peak-to-

Trough” point in

the cycle, where

prices are

coming down.

26 Feb 2020

ANALYSIS This snapshot shows the unreliability of current “real-time fuel pricing” apps available from the private sector, given only 11 retailers out of the 22 (or 50%) had prices at the pump which matched those advertised on the private app ‘MotorMouth’. The one retailer who did not appear on the app is the smallest independent operator in the sample area.

Of the other 10, all prices were lower at the pump than advertised on the app, ranging from 2c/l to 7c/l cheaper. This could be due to the point in the fuel cycle 4 days after the observed ‘peak’, where prices are on their way down. The discrepancies can be attributed to lag, where reported prices (either by retailers or passing motorists) take time to reflect the actual situation in ‘real-time’.

This can be seen in the following example at the Coles Express on Montague Road in Modbury North, where the price was taken later that day at 1:08pm. The price at the pump had changed to 141.9c/l, yet the app still displayed the price that was on offer at 11:30am.


ANALYSIS (continued) The Modbury North site was one of the 11 stations in the morning that had the correct price listed on the app, yet less than three hours later, had a price difference of 3c/l. It would be fair to assume that similar lag on the other side of the cycle (the “Trough-to-Peak”), when prices are on their way up, would result in prices being higher at the pump than shown on private apps. With this level of uncertainty, it would be difficult for consumers to make use of the information provided by real-time fuel pricing apps as they currently operate, as the price can be different (lower or higher, depending on the point in the cycle) merely hours after they have checked. The inaccuracies in the current system arguably deny consumers a fully informed choice, so they are unable to access petrol at the best possible price.

petrol price analysis north-eastern suburbs of adelaide ...€¦ · petrol price analysis –...

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