Petrol and diesel prices up in March 2026 – Selected price indexes: March 2026 – Stats NZ news story and information release

17 April 2026

Petrol and diesel prices both increased from February 2026 to March 2026. Petrol prices were up 18.6 percent while diesel prices increased 42.6 percent, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.

The increases in petrol and diesel prices this month were the largest for both fuel types since Stats NZ started publishing monthly price movements for vehicle fuels in July 2011.

The increases follow falls for both petrol and diesel in January and February 2026.

Prices for these two fuel types also increased in the 12 months to March 2026 – petrol was up 13.9 percent and diesel up 36.9 percent.

We collect vehicle fuel prices (for diesel, 91 and 95/98 octane petrol) using a combination of administrative information directly from petrol companies and weekly prices we collect at the pumps. Average petrol and diesel prices are calculated from this data to reflect price changes experienced by households across the country. We compare the average prices for the current month with the average prices for the previous month to calculate the monthly percentage movements.

The Government Statistician authorises all statistics and data we publish.