Motorists cough up 54% more to fill the tank

South Africans’ fuel expenditure has risen to between R2 500 and R2 700 a month, according to Discovery Insure’s data drawn from its customer base.

Because the insurer’s cashback offering is linked to telematics ratings of clients’ driving habits, it also has visibility into how much those clients spend on petrol.

Discovery Insure noted monthly fuel expenditure among customers rose between 43% and 54% from early 2025 when people spent R1 750 a month.

The inland 95 unleaded petrol price rose from R20.75 per litre in January 2026 to R30.25 per litre in October 2026.

The spend on fuel or taxi fares has left consumers with less discretionary cash for clothing, fast food and entertainment, with SAB CEO Richard Rivett-Carnac even telling Business Day that consumers even spent less on beer. Increased petrol prices are expected to lead to higher food inflation with Boxer CEO telling Moneyweb it is yet to be seen but is expected.

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While motorists are changing how they buy fuel, everyday driving remains unchanged, according to Discovery’s data. This is because to and from work and school is essential.

In April, trips fell by 10% and kilometres travelled by 9%. Even after excluding the Easter weekend, trips and distances travelled were still down 8%. By May, motorists were travelling 9% less than before the increases.

However, Discovery Insure says these reductions proved difficult to sustain as driving returned to normal levels shortly afterwards.

From June to September 2026, trips and kilometres travelled were slightly higher than the same period in 2025.

Following the October fuel price increase, trips fell again by 6%, while kilometres travelled declined by 7%

What motorists have cut back on is discretionary travel. Discovery Insure recorded a 30% decline in long-distance trips during the winter months.

While Discovery clients are unable to cut back on everyday commuting such as getting to work, data from National Treasury shows at a population level, less is being spent on fuel than expected.

At its Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement on 21 October (MTBPS), Treasury director-general Duncan Pieterse, noted it would collect R30 million less in fuel levies for 2026/2027 financial year because of around R22 million spent on fuel levies relief from April to June and because motorists were buying less fuel.

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Discovery’s data shows that motorists are also visiting fuel stations more frequently ahead of the price increases, with average monthly visits rising from 2.4 to just over three. Less is spent per purchase.

Discovery says an increase in smaller purchases happens whether fuel prices are going up or down, which suggests that motorists are adjusting how they fill up in anticipation of price increases, rather than always rushing to fill up before an increase.

“Motorists are clearly feeling the pressure of rising fuel prices and are becoming more deliberate about filling up,” says Robert Attwell, CEO of Discovery Insure.

“We are seeing more people buy smaller amounts of fuel, especially around price changes, as they look for ways to manage their spend.”

Some motorists still end up panic buying before the higher prices take effect. In October, fuel purchasing volumes surged by 300% before midnight on Tuesday, 6 October.

Read: More panic buying looms as record fuel prices set to kick in Reintroducing fuel levy relief ‘will come at a cost’ for Treasury More for the bank and the tank, less for everything else

Diesel purchases were up 400%. This was similar to the May increase, where purchases also surged by 300% and diesel by 450% and much higher than 200% seen during a typical price hike.

The fuel levy will be reduced by R3 per litre for diesel and R1.50 per litre for petrol from 4 November up until 1 December 2026 with reduced relief until 5 January.

As purchasing-price pressures intensified and expectations about future business conditions deteriorated.