Fuel is one of the biggest fixed costs on the Big Lap, but the price you pay per litre is surprisingly variable. The difference between the cheapest and most expensive station in a regional town can be 15 to 25 cents per litre. On a 150-litre fill, that’s $22 to $37 saved for 5 minutes of checking an app. Over a 12-month trip with fortnightly fills, that adds up to $570 to $960. Stack a loyalty program on top and you’re saving $800 to $1,400 over the trip without changing a single driving habit.
Here are the apps and programs worth setting up before you leave.
Five minutes on a fuel app before each fill saves hundreds over a Big Lap. Set them up before you leave.
Fuel Price Apps
Petrol Spy
Best for: Nationwide coverage and real-time prices. Free to use.
Petrol Spy sources real-time prices from government-mandated reporting (in states that require it) and user submissions. Coverage is excellent in populated areas and decent in regional zones. The map view makes it easy to see which stations are cheapest along your route. This is the app most Big Lappers check first.
GasBuddy
Best for: User-reported prices and community data. Free to use.
GasBuddy relies heavily on user-submitted prices, which means coverage is strong in areas where the Big Lap community is active. Less reliable in very remote areas where few users pass through. The trip cost calculator is useful for estimating fuel budgets on specific legs.
FuelMap Australia
Best for: Simple, clean interface. Free to use.
A straightforward fuel price comparison app with good Australian coverage. Shows prices by brand, fuel type, and distance. Less feature-rich than Petrol Spy but faster to use for a quick price check.
MotorMouth
Best for: Historical price tracking. Free to use.
Shows current prices plus historical trends so you can see whether prices in an area are currently high or low relative to their average. Useful for deciding whether to fill up now or wait for the next town.
Install at least two fuel apps. No single app has complete coverage everywhere. Petrol Spy plus one other gives you the best chance of finding accurate prices in any location.
Loyalty Programs
Woolworths Everyday Rewards
Saving: 4 cents/L off at selected fuel partners (Caltex Woolworths/EG Group). Boosted offers of 10 to 15 cents/L occasionally through the app.
How it works: Earn points on Woolworths grocery shops, redeem as fuel discounts. The base 4c/L saving on a 150L fill is $6. Boosted offers save $15 to $22 per fill. Over 26 fills in a year: $156 to $572. Since you’re already buying groceries at Woolworths, this is effectively free money.
Flybuys (linked to Shell Coles Express)
Saving: 4 cents/L off at Shell when linked to Flybuys. Boosted offers through the Coles app.
How it works: Similar to Woolworths Rewards but linked to Coles shopping and Shell fuel. The savings are comparable: $150 to $500/year depending on usage and boosted offer frequency. If you shop at Coles, use this. If you shop at Woolworths, use Everyday Rewards. If you alternate, use both.
NRMA / RACQ / RACV / RAC Fuel Discounts
Saving: 3 to 5 cents/L at selected partner stations, varying by state club.
How it works: Most state motoring clubs include fuel discounts as part of membership. Since you likely already have roadside assist through one of these clubs, the fuel discount is a bonus. Check which stations in your route are partner stations and factor the savings in.
BP Rewards / Ampol App
Saving: 2 to 4 cents/L plus promotional offers.
How it works: Brand-specific loyalty programs that reward repeat fill-ups at the same chain. Less flexible than the supermarket-linked programs but worth using when you’re filling at a BP or Ampol anyway. The Ampol app occasionally runs 10c/L promotions that are genuinely worthwhile.
Stack a fuel app with a loyalty program and save $800 to $1,400 over a 12-month trip. No driving changes required.
Putting It Together: The Fuel Savings Stack
Step 1: Check fuel apps before every fill. Compare prices at stations in the area. Choose the cheapest within a reasonable detour (don’t drive 30km for a 5c/L saving). Time: 2 minutes. Annual saving: $500 to $1,000.
Step 2: Use the matching loyalty program. Filling at a Woolworths-linked station? Scan Everyday Rewards. Shell? Scan Flybuys. BP? Use BP Rewards. Time: 10 seconds. Annual saving: $150 to $500.
Step 3: Time your fills strategically. Fill up at major centres before entering remote areas where prices jump 20 to 50c/L. Don’t let the tank drop below half in remote areas; the next station might be further than you think. Annual saving: $200 to $500 (avoided premium fills).
Step 4: Slow down. Not an app or a program, but the single biggest fuel saving available. Dropping from 110 to 95km/h saves 10 to 15% on consumption. Annual saving: $1,000 to $1,800.
Total annual savings from the full stack: $1,800 to $3,800. That’s 2 to 5 extra weeks of travel funded purely by smarter fuel habits.
- Install at least two fuel apps (Petrol Spy + one other) and check prices before every fill. Annual saving: $500 to $1,000.
- Use loyalty programs (Woolworths Everyday Rewards or Flybuys linked to Shell) for automatic 4c+/L discounts. Annual saving: $150 to $500.
- Fill up at major centres before remote areas to avoid 20 to 50c/L premiums. Annual saving: $200 to $500.
- The full fuel savings stack (apps + loyalty + strategic fills + slowing down) saves $1,800 to $3,800/year with minimal effort.
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