What each part means
Basic Fuel Price (BFP)
- What it is
- An “import parity” price: what it would cost to bring the fuel to a South African port. It adds up the international product price (FOB), freight, demurrage, insurance, ocean loss, cargo dues, coastal storage and stock financing, and converts the total to rand.
- What the money is for
- It pays for the product itself. Because it follows world product prices and the rand/dollar rate, it is the part that moves the most from month to month.
- Who sets it, and when
- Calculated daily by the Central Energy Fund for DMPR. The average over the review period goes into the next month’s price, so local prices lag world prices by about a month. Petrol is referenced 50% to the Mediterranean and 50% to Singapore; diesel and paraffin 50% to the Mediterranean and 50% to the Arab Gulf.
November 2026: Diesel 50 ppm 2 430.03 c/l, Diesel 500 ppm 2 355.63 c/l, ULP 95 1 844.33 c/l, ULP 93 1 807.33 c/l, IP 2 448.128 c/l. The average exchange rate for 2 to 29 October 2026 was R16.5529 per US dollar (R16.2123 the period before), and average Brent crude was US$108 a barrel (US$101 before). Source: CEF/DMPR media statement released 30 October 2026 (price change effective Wednesday 4 November 2026), Annexure 1; DMPR media statement and Basic Fuel Price table, November 2026.
Sources: [1][2]
Fuel levy (general fuel levy and carbon fuel levy)
- What it is
- A specific tax per litre under the Customs and Excise Act, collected by SARS when fuel leaves the refinery for local use. In SARS’s tariff the fuel levy is made up of two parts: the general fuel levy and the carbon fuel levy. For November 2026 that is 260 + 19 = 279 c/l on petrol and 93 + 23 = 116 c/l on diesel. Paraffin does not carry it.
- What the money is for
- General fuel levy revenue is paid into the National Revenue Fund and used for the general budget; National Treasury says it is not earmarked for particular projects. A fixed percentage is a direct charge for the credit of the eight metropolitan municipalities (for example R4.67 billion to Johannesburg and R1.88 billion to Tshwane for 2024/25). The carbon fuel levy is the fuel part of the carbon tax.
- Who sets it, and when
- Set by the Minister of Finance, normally in the February Budget with effect from April. Temporary relief can be announced in between: the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement of 21 October 2026 cut it by R1.50/l on petrol and R3.00/l on diesel for 4 November to 1 December 2026.
November 2026: Diesel 116.00 c/l, ULP 279.00 c/l, IP 0. This includes a temporary cut of R3.00/l on diesel and R1.50/l on petrol, announced in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement on 21 October 2026, for 4 November to 1 December 2026. In October 2026 the levy was 416.00 c/l (diesel) and 429.00 c/l (petrol). Source: CEF/DMPR media statement released 30 October 2026 (price change effective Wednesday 4 November 2026), Annexure 1; DMPR margin tables, November 2026.
Sources: [5][6][3][8][9][4]
Road Accident Fund levy
- What it is
- A levy per litre on petrol and diesel (not paraffin), collected by SARS on behalf of the Road Accident Fund.
- What the money is for
- The RAF Act says the Fund is financed by a fuel levy on all fuel sold in South Africa (and by loans). The money is earmarked by law and paid to the RAF, which uses it to compensate road-crash victims.
- Who sets it, and when
- Set by the Minister of Finance in the Budget, normally from April. 225 c/l in November 2026.
November 2026: 225.00 c/l on diesel and petrol; 0 on IP. Source: CEF/DMPR media statement released 30 October 2026 (price change effective Wednesday 4 November 2026), Annexure 1.
Sources: [7][6][8][2][3]
Customs and excise duty
- What it is
- A customs and excise duty on petrol and diesel under the Customs and Excise Act, collected by SARS together with the fuel levy and RAF levy.
- What the money is for
- DMPR describes it as a levy collected in terms of the SACU agreement. It is a tax, not a payment to the fuel industry.
- Who sets it, and when
- Part of the tariff under the Customs and Excise Act. It has stayed at 4 c/l in every month from December 2025 to November 2026.
November 2026: 4.00 c/l on diesel and petrol; 0 on IP. Source: CEF/DMPR media statement released 30 October 2026 (price change effective Wednesday 4 November 2026), Annexure 1.
Sources: [2][3][4]
Slate levy
- What it is
- Every day the actual BFP is higher or lower than the BFP in that month’s price. If it is higher, motorists paid too little that day (an under-recovery); if lower, too much (an over-recovery). The monthly average, multiplied by the litres sold, is recorded in the cumulative over/under-recovery account, the “slate”.
- What the money is for
- When the slate is negative, the oil companies have been under-recovered. The Central Energy Fund calculates what each company is owed, in line with what it contributed to the negative balance, and pays it after DMPR has checked the figures. When there are over-recoveries, the companies pay money back into the slate.
- Who sets it, and when
- Applied by DMPR through the Self-Adjusting Slate Levy Mechanism (in use since 7 January 2009, ranges updated 7 September 2022). It applies to all petrol and diesel grades when the slate is negative by more than R500 million. November 2026: 135.84 c/l, with the slate at −R15.876 billion at the end of September 2026.
November 2026: 135.84 c/l on diesel and petrol (up 48.18 c/l from 87.66 c/l); 0 on IP. The combined slate was −R15.876 billion at the end of September 2026. Source: CEF/DMPR media statement released 30 October 2026 (price change effective Wednesday 4 November 2026), Annexure 1.
Sources: [2][3][4]
IP tracer dye levy
- What it is
- Paraffin can be mixed with diesel and burnt in diesel engines, and paraffin carries no fuel levy, so mixing cuts costs and loses tax. A tracer dye is injected into illuminating paraffin to curb this.
- What the money is for
- It reimburses the oil industry for buying the tracer dye and injecting it into paraffin, which protects fuel tax income for the fiscus.
- Who sets it, and when
- Set by the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources with the agreement of the Minister of Finance. Raised from 0.01 c/l to 1.0 c/l in March 2024 to cover claims, then reduced to 0.5 c/l from March 2025.
November 2026: 0.50 c/l on diesel; 0 on petrol and IP. Source: CEF/DMPR media statement released 30 October 2026 (price change effective Wednesday 4 November 2026), Annexure 1.
Sources: [2][3]
Petroleum products (pipeline) levy
- What it is
- Called the “Petroleum Products levy” in the CEF price table and the “pipeline levy” in DMPR’s margin tables. It first went into the petrol and diesel price on 7 March 2007, at 0.19 c/l.
- What the money is for
- Under the Petroleum Pipelines Levies Act, NERSA may impose levies to meet its administrative costs and regulatory functions. The levy is based on the litres delivered into petroleum pipelines and paid by whoever owns the product. This line in the price reimburses the pipeline users for that cost.
- Who sets it, and when
- NERSA proposes it in line with its budget; it needs the approval of the Minister responsible for energy with the agreement of the Minister of Finance, and is reviewed every year. 0.33 c/l in November 2026.
November 2026: 0.33 c/l on diesel and petrol; 0 on IP. Source: CEF/DMPR media statement released 30 October 2026 (price change effective Wednesday 4 November 2026), Annexure 1 (“Petroleum Products levy”); called “Pipeline Levy” in the DMPR diesel margin table.
Sources: [10][2][3]
Wholesale margin
- What it is
- Wholesale is the marketing of fuel under a wholesale licence, to end users or to resellers such as service stations.
- What the money is for
- It goes to the wholesaler. It is worked out from benchmark assets and costs so that the wholesaler earns a fair return and recovers its allowed operating costs.
- Who sets it, and when
- Calculated by DMPR under the Regulatory Accounting System (RAS) and adjusted once a year, in December. November 2026: 66.50 c/l on petrol, 99.17 c/l on diesel and paraffin.
November 2026: Diesel 99.17 c/l, ULP 66.50 c/l, IP 99.17 c/l. Source: CEF/DMPR media statement released 30 October 2026 (price change effective Wednesday 4 November 2026), Annexure 1.
Sources: [3][2]
Secondary storage
- What it is
- Depots receive bulk product by pipeline, rail or road from a refinery or terminal, store it, and break it into smaller loads before delivery by road to service stations or end users.
- What the money is for
- It goes to those who run secondary storage, as a return on their investment plus allowed costs.
- Who sets it, and when
- Calculated by DMPR under RAS, adjusted in December. 39.00 c/l on all products in November 2026.
November 2026: 39.00 c/l on all products. Source: CEF/DMPR media statement released 30 October 2026, Annexure 1.
Sources: [3]
Secondary distribution
- What it is
- Starts at the depot or terminal loading gantry, where bulk is broken, and covers delivery to service stations, commercial or bulk customers or another storage facility.
- What the money is for
- It goes to those who do the secondary distribution, as a return on their investment plus allowed costs.
- Who sets it, and when
- Calculated by DMPR under RAS, adjusted in December. 19.10 c/l on all products in November 2026.
November 2026: 19.10 c/l on all products. Source: CEF/DMPR media statement released 30 October 2026, Annexure 1.
Sources: [3]
Router differential (paraffin only)
- What it is
- A line in DMPR’s price structure that applies to illuminating paraffin only (zero on petrol and diesel).
- What the money is for
- Not described in the official documents we checked, so we do not explain it further here.
- Who sets it, and when
- Published by DMPR in the monthly price structure. 7.40 c/l in November 2026.
November 2026: 7.40 c/l on illuminating paraffin; nil on petrol and diesel. Source: CEF/DMPR media statement released 30 October 2026, Annexure 1.
Sources: [4]
Zone (transport) differential
- What it is
- Fuel is brought inland by pipeline, rail and road. The country is divided into fuel price zones by magisterial district, and each zone has its own transport tariff.
- What the money is for
- It covers moving the product from the supply point or storage facility to the end user: a road element (trucks, fuel, insurance, drivers, maintenance, licences, overheads) and a pipeline element (NERSA pipeline tariffs from Durban, Sasolburg and Secunda).
- Who sets it, and when
- Calculated by DMPR once a year, in April. The road element uses the Road Freight Association’s Vehicle Cost Schedule; the pipeline element uses NERSA’s tariff decisions. Gauteng (Zone 9C) is 91.10 c/l for petrol and diesel and 109.30 c/l for paraffin; the coast (Zone 1A) is 3.90 c/l.
November 2026: Gauteng (Zone 9C) 91.10 c/l for petrol and diesel and 109.30 c/l for IP; coast (Zone 1A) 3.90 c/l. Source: CEF/DMPR media statement released 30 October 2026 (price change effective Wednesday 4 November 2026), Annexure 1; DMPR Fuel Price Schedule November 2026 (zone 1A rows).
Sources: [3][2][4]
Find your zone on the map
Retail margin (petrol only)
- What it is
- Petrol has a regulated pump price, so the price includes a margin for the service station. Diesel has no regulated retail price, so there is no retail margin in its structure.
- What the money is for
- It goes to the service station operator and is based on the actual costs of selling petrol, including the driveway share of rental, interest, labour (forecourt attendants), overheads and the owner’s compensation.
- Who sets it, and when
- Set by DMPR under RAS: the annual margin adjustment is in December, and forecourt attendant wage adjustments are in September. 320.00 c/l in November 2026.
November 2026: 320.00 c/l on ULP 93 and 95. Source: CEF/DMPR media statement released 30 October 2026, Annexure 1.
Sources: [2][3][1]
Pump rounding (petrol only)
- What it is
- Petrol pump prices are published in whole cents. After all the other parts are added, a small rounding amount is shown so the total comes to a whole cent.
- What the money is for
- Nobody is paid from it; it just rounds the price.
- Who sets it, and when
- Part of DMPR’s monthly price structure. −0.20 c/l on petrol in Gauteng in November 2026; nil on diesel and paraffin.
November 2026: −0.20 c/l on ULP 93 and 95 in Gauteng. Source: CEF/DMPR media statement released 30 October 2026, Annexure 1.
Sources: [4]
Wholesale prices versus pump prices
For ULP, government sets the maximum price at the pump. For diesel and illuminating paraffin it sets a wholesale list price; the price a business pays depends on its supplier, volumes, delivery and terms. That is why a quote is worked out for your order and delivery area, and is not the same as the figures on this page.
When prices change
Prices are adjusted every month, on a Wednesday at the start of the month (4 November 2026 this month). The Central Energy Fund publishes daily estimates during the month; the official adjustment is announced by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources.
Carbon levy, DSML and other levies
- Carbon fuel levy
- Not a separate line in DMPR’s table, because it is already inside the fuel levy line. SARS’s tariff says the fuel levy is the general fuel levy plus the carbon fuel levy: 19 c/l of the 279 c/l on petrol and 23 c/l of the 116 c/l on diesel in November 2026. It is the fuel part of the carbon tax and goes to the National Revenue Fund like other taxes. [5][8]
- Demand Side Management Levy (DSML)
- A levy of 10 c/l on ULP 95 sold inland, brought in in January 2006 to discourage the use of 95 where 93 is enough (“octane waste”). It was removed from 1 June 2022 and is not in the November 2026 price structure. [2][8]
- Equalisation Fund levy
- A levy set by the Minister responsible for energy with the Minister of Finance, mainly used to even out fuel prices. DMPR shows it at zero, and it is not in the November 2026 structure. [2]
We have only shown figures and explanations we could find in an official document.