Motorists are being squeezed by skyrocketing petrol prices across Sydney and Melbourne just a day out from the long weekend, with bowsers set to continue soaring ahead of Australia Day.

Motormouth data shows petrol prices in Sydney have soared 3.9 per cent to $1.83 a litre in the past few days, while motorists in Melbourne are paying an average $1.80 (up 2.3 per cent).

It’s the start of what’s set to be a huge upswing in east coast bowsers over the long weekend – just in time for the rush of families hitting the road for their customary late January holiday.

National Road Motorists Association spokesperson Peter Khoury said prices in Sydney were starting to rise “much sooner” than expected, foreshadowing pain for millions of motorists.

“The price at the bottom of the cycle in Sydney bottomed out at around 10 cents per litre higher than Adelaide and Perth, meaning Sydney has continued its 2023 trend of paying more for petrol than some of its smaller capital city counterparts,” Khoury said.

The NSW government on Thursday said it was expecting increased traffic on the roads as the long weekend began.

Source: Motormouth (click to enlarge).

“We’re expecting large volumes of visitors will flock to the coast to enjoy the warm start to the long weekend,” Transport for NSW Chief Customer Officer Roger Weeks said.

“Our data tells us we’ll see traffic building throughout Thursday ahead of Friday’s public holiday, with people leaving city centres to make the most of the long weekend.

“We’re also predicting heavy traffic on Sunday and Monday, as holidaymakers head home to prepare to return to school and work.”

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has advised motorists in Melbourne and Brisbane to search for servos that haven’t yet hiked prices.

“If motorists shop around, they may find some retailers that have not yet increased prices,” the consumer watchdog said.

Motorists in Brisbane are presently paying much higher prices than those in Sydney and Melbourne, with bowsers hovering around $2.08 a litre on average.

But petrol prices in Queensland’s capital have come off the boil somewhat from an earlier high of $2.10 a litre, meaning motorists could save by waiting a bit to fill up.

Petrol prices across smaller capitals, including Hobart, Darwin and Canberra, have also begun to tick up this week, all rising to about $1.85 a litre, according to Motormouth.

Motorists in Adelaide, meanwhile, are paying closer to $2 a litre after prices spiked late last week. However, bowser prices have begun to ease in the South Australian capital in recent days.

In Perth, where petrol prices are regulated, prices rose to about $2 a litre on Wednesday. They are expected to fall again to about $1.80 a litre in the coming days.