Australians are again being slapped by soaring petrol prices, with bowsers in Sydney and Brisbane topping $2 a litre this week and the ACCC urging motorists to shop around.

The increases have been caused by notoriously volatile east coast petrol markets, but Australian Competition and Consumer Commission analysis shows there are ways to avoid the worst.

Its data shows motorists who fill up 50 litres a week could save up to $242 a year in Brisbane, $407 in Sydney, $333 in Melbourne, $486 in Adelaide and $740 in Perth by shopping around.

ACCC commissioner Anna Brakey said the first step is to download a fuel price comparison app or visit a website that can reveal the cheapest petrol prices near you and avoid pricier servos.

“In the current economic climate, finding savings is important to many motorists. Using apps and websites to choose where and when to fill up can help consumers save money,” Brakey said.

“These are powerful tools for motorists looking for lower fuel prices, which may be only a short drive away.”

Once you’ve downloaded a petrol price comparison application, the next thing you’ll want to do is understand the patterns of how bowser prices change across Australia’s east coast markets.

Across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane – where most Australian motorists live – petrol prices swing wildly on a semi-regular cycle.

ACCC research suggests this is caused by bigger chains pushing up prices before being undercut by independent service stations, who then force down petrol prices for some time.

Oil companies then use their power in the market to recoup profits by pushing up prices again, something that is happening now across Brisbane and Sydney in particular.

In mid-August petrol prices averaged just $1.77 a litre in Brisbane and $1.75 in Sydney, according to the latest data from fuel price comparison company MotorMouth.

But on Saturday the average price was $1.97 a litre in Sydney, and $2.01 in Brisbane, with more to come.

Melbourne is running at a lag right now and petrol prices have started rising from a low of $1.72 a litre to $1.73.

But if history is anything to go by, it won’t be long before prices pass $2 a litre.

The last upswing in the petrol prices cycle in July resulted in motorists being charged $2.07 a litre on average across Sydney, $2.13 a litre across Brisbane and $2.12 a litre in Melbourne.

Brakey said ACCC research shows fuel price cycles have become longer between 2018 and 2023, rising from an average duration of four weeks to about seven weeks, which can make it harder for motorists to pinpoint the bottom of the cycle.

But there are still opportunities to use the market cycles to save on fuel, Brakey explained.

“A perception may be that all retailers increase prices at once, but our research shows this isn’t the case,” she said.

“If you see prices going up at one retail site, apps and websites can help to find another that hasn’t yet raised its price.”

ACCC research shows it can take up to two weeks from the lowest point of the market for service stations in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to climb to their highest point.

“There is also often a range of petrol prices available across retail sites at all points of the petrol price cycle, including large differences at certain points,” Brakey said.

“Motorists have opportunities to use apps and websites to find retail sites with relatively lower prices and save.”