Petrol

During Your Trip

You'll definitely need to fuel your vehicle during your rental, so here's some advice and tips on the different fuels campervans use, fuel consumption and typical costs.

Type of Fuel

In Australia there are a few different fuel options:

Standard unleaded petrol (91)
Premium 95-octane unleaded
Premium 98-octane unleaded
E10, also marketed as 94-octane
E85 - flex-fuel
Diesel
Premium Diesel

Which Petrol Should you Use?

The staff at the depot will let you know which fuel your vehicle requires and as well, there is usually a sticker on the fuel inlet. Do not use any other fuel than the one required as this could damage the engine.

Tank Sizes

You can have as little as a 60L tank for small campers and up to a 100L tank for the largest vehicles. The Fuel Consumption is approximately 11-14 litres per 100 km (depending on the vehicle). This may vary subject to the use of air-conditioning, temperature and terrain.

Cost

The price of petrol and diesel fluctuates weekly & the cost will vary in every state.

The current average cost (AUG 2024) is $1.70 to $2.20 per L for unleaded & $1.80 to $2.30 per L for Diesel.

Petrol Stations

In Australia, petrol stations are located in cities, towns, and rural areas. Here's where you typically find them:

Major Cities and Suburbs: They are often located near shopping centres, industrial parks, major intersections, main roads, airports & highways.
Highways: Along major highways and motorways, petrol stations are often located at regular intervals to ensure that drivers can refuel during long journeys. They usually have other facilities such as toilets, food and drink outlets and sell a few general back-up groceries.
Regional Towns and Rural Areas: Even in remote areas, petrol stations are strategically located (the town centre or along the main road leading into or out of the town). In very remote areas or outback regions, they may be less frequent, so planning fuel stops is important when traveling long distances — the Adelaide to Darwin route, for example, has a 500km+ stretch between Marla and Uluru with very limited fuel. If you're heading into the outback, also review the road restrictions for campervans as sealed-road-only rules apply to 2WD vehicles.

You can easily locate petrol stations using Google Maps or fuel price apps.

Run out of Fuel

If you have run out of fuel, ring the nearest petrol station and see what they'll charge to come to your rescue. If you're not too far from a petrol station you might decide to walk, buy a jerry can, fill it with petrol and carry it back to your car.

Roadside Assistance usually does not cover you running out of fuel. Some providers offer extra roadside assistance which covers lock out, jump start, flat tyre change using the spare tyre located in the vehicle & up to 20 litres fuel delivery. Check with DriveNow if you want to add this option or ask the supplier at the time of pick-up.

Expert Tip

Never let the fuel gauge get below 25% full.
Purchase fuel on Mondays, Tuesdays & Wednesday as it is usually the cheapest days
Keep your Coles or Woolworths docket for 0.4C discount per Litre on fuel (participating locations only)