The South African motorist was set to benefit from a petrol price drop in April 2017, but according to the Automobile Association (AA), the decrease is not as much as you might have hoped for. Here's why…

The timing of these predicted petrol price drops in April 2017 could not have come at a worse time as theincreases to the general fuel and Road Accident Fund (RAF) levies are due to kick in. The general fuel levy will increase by 30 cents per litreand the RAF by 9 cents per litre. Both increases come into play on 1 April 2017. Frustratingly, the AA predicted that petrol would decrease by around 51 cents per litre and diesel by 27 cents per litre.

“This means that while motorists may have expected the current price per litre of petrol to drop substantially, they will now only see it going down by around 12 cents a litre. Diesel users, on the other hand, will see an increase of 12 cents a litre, with the levies eating up any gains,” the AA said. International petrol prices have again declined, which brings hope that another decrease could be on the cards in May 2017.

"OPEC's reduction in its crude oil output targets has been countered by increasing global oil stocks held by non-OPEC nations," the AA said. "This has gradually pushed the oil price down to near the levels it was maintaining before OPEC's output targets were adjusted, which is good news for South Africans." Thanks to a fairly stable Rand/Dollar exchange rate, motorists are likely to benefit from a price decrease. "The Rand has shed around 4 cents against the dollar since the start of March. If this period of relative stability in the exchange rate continues, the currency will only have a small influence on the fuel price at month end," the AA concluded.

Here’s what you can expect to pay for fuel from Wednesday 1 March 2017:

Petrol

Reef: Unleaded 93 – R13.30 / Unleaded 95 – R13.54 / LRP 93 – R13.30

Coast: Unleaded 93 – R12.92 / Unleaded 95 – R13.06 / LRP 95 – R13.06

Diesel

Note: Wholesale diesel prices quoted, prices may vary between retailers.

Reef: Diesel 0.05% – R11.61 / Diesel 0.01% – R11.64

Coast: Diesel 0.05% – R11.22 / Diesel 0.01% – R11.24

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