South African motorists are set for a costly start to the festive season, with fuel prices expected to rise across all grades from Wednesday, December 3.

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy is scheduled to announce the final official price adjustments today, December 2, ahead of the changes taking effect at midnight.

The spike in diesel is largely driven by strong winter heating oil demand in the Northern Hemisphere, which draws from the same global product pool. This trend is likely to push up costs in the transport and logistics sectors, ultimately affecting the price of consumer goods.

Following these adjustments, fuel costs at the pump are expected to reach new highs for year-end, particularly in inland regions.

The projections, based on month-end data from the Central Energy Fund, indicate the following estimated price increases:

• Petrol 93 Unleaded: +19c to +20c
• Petrol 95 Unleaded: +24c to +26c
• Diesel 0.05% (Wholesale): +60c to +72c
• Diesel 0.005% (Wholesale): +77c to +89c
• Illuminating Paraffin: +68c

Motorists can therefore expect to pay around R21.37 per litre for 95 Unleaded petrol and R19.99 per litre for 50ppm diesel (wholesale).