The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s June quarterly report revealed Cairns motorists had been charged a whopping 14.7 cents per litre (cpl) more than those in the five major Australian capital cities.

RACQ’s Renee Smith said concerningly, this gap increased over the last quarter, which indicated little respite ahead for Cairns motorists.

“The thing is, there’s no incentive for expensive servos to lower their prices if motorists continue to fill up anywhere,” Ms Smith said.

“At least now local motorists have cheaper options thanks to the arrival of United retailers – they’re offering prices 8 cpl lower than the Cairns average.

“It’s vital motorists do their research and take the time to shop around so they’re only filling up at service stations selling fuel at the lowest price. That’s the only way we’re going to have any success in driving down prices.”