The September petrol price is brining sharper increases for South African motorists, with diesel taking the heaviest hit.
The Central Energy Fund (CEF) data points to under-recoveries that have worsened as the month progressed, and the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) will confirm the official adjustments before 2 September 2026.
September petrol price hike
According to projections reported by CARmag and informed by CEF data, petrol 95 ULP/LRP could increase by R1.01 per litre, while petrol 93 ULP/LRP is tracking a 90 cents per litre rise. These are projections, not final prices. The direction, however, has held firm.
The rand exchange rate on 24 August 2026 sat at R16.01 to the dollar, according to the CEF daily report. Currency movements contributed a partial offset to international product price pressure, but not nearly enough.
Diesel takes the biggest knock
Diesel users are facing the steepest projected increases. According to CARmag’s projections, diesel 0.05% sulphur could rise by R2.88 per litre, and the cleaner 0.005% sulphur grade by R3.09 per litre at wholesale level. Wholesale illuminating paraffin, used by millions of South African households for cooking and heating, is tracking a possible increase of R2.24 per litre.
The CEF daily data for 24 August 2026 shows diesel 0.05% sulphur carrying an average unit under-recovery of 288.09 cents per litre for the period 31 July to 24 August 2026. The 0.005% sulphur grade’s average under-recovery sits at 308.94 cents per litre over the same window.
For context, the current Gauteng wholesale prices, set from 5 August 2026, are R26.17 per litre for diesel 0.05% and R26.41 per litre for diesel 0.005%. The projected September figures would push these significantly higher.
What’s driving the increase
The main driver, according to CARmag, is that oil prices have not declined recently. The US imposing new sanctions on Iran, with peace talks still unresolved, is cited as the key factor. Restricted oil ship passage through the Strait of Hormuz is also keeping global supply tighter than required.
The CEF daily analysis for 24 August 2026 shows that the movement in international product prices contributed a negative 311.63 cents per litre to diesel 0.05%’s average under-recovery, partially offset by exchange rate movement of positive 23.54 cents per litre. Oil prices at the time of CARmag’s reporting sat at $92 per barrel.
The projected inland pump prices for September 2026, if current under-recoveries hold, are R26.30 per litre for petrol 93 ULP/LRP and R26.57 per litre for petrol 95 ULP/LRP. Coastal petrol 95 is projected at R25.72 per litre. Wholesale diesel 0.05% sulphur is projected at R29.05 per litre inland, with the 0.005% sulphur grade reaching R29.99 per litre.
The DMPR will release the official September 2026 fuel price adjustment in the final days of August, effective at midnight on 2 September 2026.
