The price of petrol in South Africa over 25 years
Inland 95 ULP per litre, January each year
2000
R1.73
The rand was strong. Oil was cheap. Nobody thought twice about filling up.
2003
R3.37
Iraq war. Oil prices spike globally. SA feels it fast.
2005
R4.43
Hurricane Katrina disrupts US oil. Prices climbing steadily worldwide.
2008
R9.13
Oil hits $147/barrel — an all-time record. SA petrol nearly doubles in a single year. Then the global financial crisis hits and prices briefly crash.
2010
R7.64
Post-crisis recovery. World Cup year. Prices settle but never return to pre-2008 levels.
2012
R10.71
The rand weakens past R8/$. Double digits for the first time.
2015
R11.72
RAF levy jumps 48% overnight. Government taxes now make up over 35% of the pump price.
2018
R14.23
Rand crashes past R15/$. Another RAF levy hike. The squeeze is real.
2020
R12.22
COVID crashes oil demand. Brent drops below $20. SA briefly gets cheaper fuel. It doesn't last.
2022
R24.17
Russia invades Ukraine. Oil spikes. Rand weakens. SA hits an all-time record of R26.74 in July. Cost-of-living crisis.
2024
R21.44
Prices ease slightly from the 2022 peak. But "easing" means R21+ is the new normal.
2026
R19.92
April 2026. Still nearly 12× what it cost in 2000. Taxes and levies now make up over R7 per litre.
1,051%
increase in 25 years
In 2000, filling a 50-litre tank cost R86.50. Today it costs R996. Same tank. Same car. Same road. Just a very different country.