Aussies brace for $3000 price shock

Sophie Foster

Updated 3 Apr 2026, 12:25pm

First published 3 Apr 2026, 11:44am

Aussie families will be running on empty if fuel costs are sustained at high levels for a year, with many already reassessing how they live to cope.

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Aussies face being smashed by $3000 in fresh cost blows on top of an already brutal cost-of-living crunch.

New research has found the global fuel squeeze is draining around $3000 a year from household budgets, forcing millions of Australians to rethink how they get to work, school and the shops – or cut back elsewhere just to keep their cars on the road.

How much more are Australians spending on fuel per week? Source: Youi

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Youi found nearly half the country is already feeling the pinch, with Australians now paying an extra $50 to $60 a week for fuel on average, adding up to roughly $3000 extra a year – a hit that’s quickly eating into financial buffers.

Before the crisis, Aussies said they could comfortably handle an unexpected expense of about $3171, highlighting how close many households already were to the edge before fuel costs surged.

The findings expose the reality of life in car-dependent areas, where the simple act of getting around was now costing thousands more each year.

The Youi survey of 800 Australians found 49 per cent have taken to driving less, while others combine trips (26 per cent), use public transport more often (22 per cent), or cut spending in other areas to afford to fill up their fuel tanks.

How long will fuel prices impact household budgets? Source: Supplied.

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A Youi spokesperson said the pressure was landing hardest on households already doing it tough.

“Many Australians were already scraping by, and rising fuel costs are now forcing real changes in how people manage their daily lives.”

The data also revealed how exposed households were, with 45 per cent able to only maintain normal daily activities for a week or less without fuel.

Of those, 9 per cent said they could cope for just one to two days, 17 per cent for three to five days, and 19 per cent for about a week.

A further 24 per cent said they could last between a week and a month, while 14 per cent said more than a month.

What unsafe behaviour has been observed at petrol stations? Source: Youi

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Pressure has spilt over at petrol stations, with more than a third of Aussies reporting unsafe or tense situations during shortages or panic buying, including queues backing onto roads and confrontations between motorists.

The impact was not just financial, Youi found, as one in three Aussies report high or very high stress linked to the fuel crisis, rising to more than half among younger people and 45 per cent for households with young children.

In a country built around the car, the cost of simply getting from A to B has fast become one of the biggest financial shocks for households – and for many, it’s hitting home hard.