While Santa has given Sydney motorists the gift of cheaper petrol this Christmas, Maitland drivers are still stuck with a petrol Scrooge.
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One large supermarket chain has capped prices in the Sydney metropolitan area at $1.14 per litre or less until January 4.
Independent retailers are offering regular unleaded in Sydney as low as $1.12 per litre.
But the reduced prices are not being shared in the Hunter Valley.
A number of petrol stations in Maitland had prices hovering around $1.30 per litre for E10 yesterday afternoon.
The Woolworths Caltex petrol station at Ken Tubman Drive had E10 at 129.3 cents per litre with United on Les Darcy Drive, Coles Shell Express was at 128.3c/L and the Metro at Cliftleigh was 126.9c/L.
NRMA director Kyle Loades said the difference between the average regular unleaded price in Sydney and the Hunter was close to 16c/L.
“The wholesale price of petrol is 112 cents per litre, that’s what they’re buying it and selling it for so they’re aiming to make a profit elsewhere,” he said.
“So Santa Claus is handing out cheap Christmas petrol in Sydney and you’ve got a Scrooge up in the Hunter.”
Mr Loades said 120c/L was a fair price for petrol in the Hunter.
“They reason they’re charging more up there is simply because they can.”