June 2026 petrol price: Why it goes up and what diesel drivers save

What is changing from 3 June 2026

Current prices effective 6 May 2026. June forecast based on CEF tracking 18 May 2026.

Why petrol is going up: the levy relief is being halved

The petrol increase is almost entirely a government policy change, not a movement in global oil prices. Here is the background.

When the 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis began in late February 2026 - after geopolitical events caused Iran to restrict tanker traffic through the strait, which carries about 20% of global oil trade - Brent crude spiked from around $70 to above $100 per barrel within weeks. At peak, Brent reached $126/barrel in March 2026. SA petrol prices surged as a result: the May 2026 adjustment alone added R3.27/litre to petrol.

To soften the blow, Finance Minister Godongwana and the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources introduced temporary relief on the General Fuel Levy. From 1 April 2026, the petrol levy was cut by R3.00/litre. This relief was extended into May, keeping the levy at R3.00/litre below normal.

For June, the relief is being halved. Petrol levy relief drops from R3.00/litre to R1.50/litre. Even with international oil prices roughly flat (Brent around $110/barrel as of mid-May), that R1.50/litre reduction in relief flows directly through to the pump price. The result: petrol goes up by roughly R1.69/litre.

Why diesel is going down

Diesel is moving in the opposite direction because two forces are partly cancelling each other out. The diesel levy relief is also being reduced (from R3.93/litre to R1.96/litre in June), which would push the price up. But the international diesel price is showing a larger over-recovery than petrol - meaning South Africa paid more for May diesel than the current global price requires. This over-recovery is large enough to more than offset the levy reinstatement, producing a net decrease of about R2.44/litre.

This is good news for truck drivers, taxis, and anyone running diesel vehicles - but it is worth noting that even after the drop, diesel at around R28.73/litre inland is still far above where it was before the Hormuz crisis (roughly R24-25/litre in late 2025).

What this costs in practice

On a standard 50-litre tank:

• Petrol 95 inland: R1332 in May vs a forecast R1416 in June - about R85 more per fillup
• Diesel 50ppm inland: R1559 in May vs a forecast R1437 in June - about R122 saving per fillup

For a commuter filling up twice a month on petrol, June costs roughly R170 more per month than May. Use the fuel cost calculator to work out the exact cost for your vehicle and route.

The July cliff: what comes next

The full General Fuel Levy relief - R1.50/litre for petrol and R1.96/litre for diesel - expires completely on 1 July 2026. This is a significant upcoming risk. Unless global oil prices fall substantially by month-end, July's adjustment will add back everything removed in June plus the remaining levy. The government has not announced any further relief beyond June.

The total cost of the April-June fuel levy relief programme is R17.2 billion in foregone tax revenue. Government is not expected to extend it indefinitely.

When will the official June price be confirmed?

The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMRE) will gazette the official June 2026 fuel prices on 29 May 2026. Prices take effect from midnight on Wednesday 3 June 2026. We will update the fuel cost calculator and this article as soon as the gazette is published.