In short
- Fuel cost = kilometres ÷ 100 × the car's L/100km × the price per litre.
- At the ACCC's Brisbane average for regular unleaded on 7 October 2026 (237.5 c/L), 300 km in a car using 6.9 L/100km is about A$49.[3]
- Official combined figures for the variants used here run from 5.4 to 7.2 L/100km; the urban figures, closer to city driving, from 6.5 to 10.1.[1]
- Real driving usually uses more than the lab figure, and prices change daily, so budget from the urban figure and today's pump price.[2]
- Return the car with the fuel it had at pickup, or each eighth below is charged at A$15.
How do you work out the fuel cost of a week's driving?
Two multiplications. You need three numbers: how far you'll drive in the week, how much fuel the car uses per 100 kilometres, and what a litre costs at the pump.
- Litres = kilometres for the week ÷ 100 × the car's litres per 100 km (L/100km).
- Cost = litres × the price per litre.
Worked through: 300 km in a car rated at 6.9 L/100km is 300 ÷ 100 × 6.9 = 20.7 litres. At 237.5 cents a litre, that's about A$49 for the week.
The rest of this guide gives you each of those numbers for Brisbane, with their limits.
How much fuel do the cars Rentzy rents use?
The Australian Government's Green Vehicle Guide lists official fuel consumption for cars sold in Australia since 2004. For each model name in Rentzy's fleet, the table shows one automatic petrol variant from the Guide, with its combined figure (a mix of city and highway test driving) and its urban figure.[1]
| Model | Variant used here | Combined L/100km | Urban L/100km | Fuel listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi Outlander | 2015 ZK Outlander LS, 2.0-litre, CVT, 2WD | 6.7 | 8.5 | 91 RON unleaded |
| Volkswagen Tiguan | MY17 Tiguan 110TSI Comfortline, 1.4-litre turbo, 6-speed auto, 2WD | 6.3 | 7.6 | 95 RON premium unleaded |
| Nissan Qashqai | 2015 J11 Qashqai, 2.0-litre, CVT, 2WD | 6.9 | 9.2 | 91 RON unleaded |
| Hyundai Elantra | 2016 Elantra, 2.0-litre, 6-speed auto | 7.2 | 10.1 | 91 RON unleaded |
| Volkswagen Golf | 2015 Golf 92TSI hatch, 1.4-litre turbo, 7-speed auto | 5.4 | 6.5 | 95 RON premium unleaded |
| Mazda 2 | 2009 Mazda 2 hatch, 1.5-litre, 4-speed auto | 6.8 | 8.9 | 91 RON unleaded |
These are worked examples, not your car's figures. The car you get may be a different year, engine or gearbox, and the Guide lists different consumption for each. Look the exact car up on the Green Vehicle Guide by make, model and year if you want its own numbers.[1]
What does 300 km a week cost in each car?
Using the variants above and the ACCC's Brisbane average for regular unleaded on 7 October 2026 (237.5 cents a litre),[3] here is 300 km worked out at the combined and at the urban figure:
| Model | At the combined figure | At the urban figure |
|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi Outlander | 20.1 L, A$48 | 25.5 L, A$61 |
| Volkswagen Tiguan | 18.9 L, more than A$45 | 22.8 L, more than A$54 |
| Nissan Qashqai | 20.7 L, A$49 | 27.6 L, A$66 |
| Hyundai Elantra | 21.6 L, A$51 | 30.3 L, A$72 |
| Volkswagen Golf | 16.2 L, more than A$38 | 19.5 L, more than A$46 |
| Mazda 2 | 20.4 L, A$48 | 26.7 L, A$63 |
Two of the rows say "more than" because those variants are listed for 95 RON fuel, which is sold at a higher price per litre than the regular unleaded the ACCC average is for. Use the pump price of 95 for those cars.
To scale: 150 km is half of each figure, and 600 km is double. A week of short trips across the suburbs sits nearer the urban column; a week with a long highway run sits nearer the combined one.
Why might you use more fuel than the official figure?
The Guide's figures come from a laboratory test on a standard drive cycle, so that every model is measured the same way. The Guide itself says that test can't simulate every real-world condition, and that what you use on the road will vary with traffic and road conditions, the condition of the vehicle and how it's driven.[2]
It also says the urban figure is likely to be more about city driving than the combined one.[2] For stop-start Brisbane traffic, the urban column is the safer budget; treat the combined column as the low end.
What price per litre should you use in Brisbane?
At the time of writing (October 2026), the most recent ACCC weekly fuel price monitoring report we could read put the daily average retail price of regular unleaded in Brisbane at 237.5 cents a litre on 7 October 2026. On 20 February 2026 the same average was 188.8 cents.[3] Prices change daily, so check before you rely on any figure here.
- Why prices moved so much in 2026. The ACCC links the rise to international refined fuel prices after conflict in the Middle East escalated in late February, and notes that the Australian Government cut fuel excise by 32 cents a litre from 1 April to 30 June 2026, then restored it in two steps, fully from 3 August.[3]
- Price cycles. In Brisbane and the other largest cities, retail petrol prices have typically moved up and down in regular patterns that the ACCC calls price cycles. Diesel doesn't cycle.[3]
- Shop around. The ACCC encourages drivers to compare prices at different service stations with fuel price apps and websites before filling up.[3] The apps that receive Queensland's reported prices are listed in fuel, parking and fines in Brisbane.
How do you estimate your own week?
- Add up the week's driving: daily trips × days, plus any day trip. A map app gives each route's distance.
- Look up your car's urban L/100km on the Green Vehicle Guide, or use the closest row above.
- Multiply out the litres, then multiply by today's pump price for the right fuel.
- Add a margin, and remember that tolls are a separate cost: see tolls in Brisbane.
Unlimited kilometres: no kilometre limit and no charge per kilometre. So at Rentzy, distance costs you fuel and tolls, not a per-kilometre fee.
One last cost to avoid: the car goes back with at least the fuel it had at pickup, or each eighth of a tank below that level is charged at A$15 (fees and charges). How that works is covered in the fuel, parking and fines guide.
Sources
- Australian Government (Green Vehicle Guide): Green Vehicle Guide: vehicle search (read 23 October 2026)
- Australian Government (Green Vehicle Guide): Frequently asked questions (read 23 October 2026)
- Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC): Weekly fuel price monitoring report, Friday 9 October 2026 (read 23 October 2026)
Written by the Rentzy team at Rentzy Car Rentals. Rentzy prices, fees and rules in this guide come from our published terms and update with them; rules set by others (roads, tolls, licences, transport) are from the official pages above, as read on the dates shown. Something out of date? Tell us.
