FUEL prices have skyrocketed in parts of the Redlands and Logan, with the RACQ warning drivers that fuel stations are vying to make up for lost profits by returning prices to pre-COVID levels.
A fair fuel price on Thursday, according to the RACQ, was about 110 cents per litre in the south-east, but some stations have upped their prices to more than 150 cents.
RACQ spokeswoman Lauren Ritchie said as south-east Queensland entered the expensive phase of the cycle, more than 430 sites across the region had jacked up the price of unleaded petrol to more than 150 cents per litre.
"More than 65 percent of servos in Brisbane and 82 percent on the Gold Coast have hit 150 cents per litre or higher - which is a far cry from the cheap monthly average of 98 cents per litre we saw in the middle of last year at the height of coronavirus restrictions," Ms Ritchie said.
"Fuel companies are clawing back lost profits ... with exceptionally high retail margins of around 40 cents per litre.
"With current low oil and wholesale prices there is really no excuse for margins to be this high."
Ms Ritchie said cheap fuel sites were disappearing quickly and urged drivers to do their homework.
"There are very few servos in Brisbane still selling unleaded for under 116 cents per litre, and we know it won't last long," she said.
According to the RACQ's Fair Fuel Finder, Victoria Point and Redland Bay are the best bets for cheap fuel in the Redlands, with prices at most service stations in the suburbs about 120 cents per litre on Thursday morning.
Further north, in Cleveland, Alexandra Hills and Capalaba, drivers would be hard-pressed to find fuel for less than 155 cents per litre.
Prices are lower in Logan, with most service stations at Jimboomba about 113 cents per litre, but prices are creeping up, with a number of stations at 155 cents per litre.
The average price of unleaded was 131.4 cents per liter in Brisbane, 146.9 on the Gold Coast, 119.5 in Ipswich and 115.9 on the Sunshine Coast.
