Pretoria motorists are being warned to brace for another painful blow at the pumps in April, with mid-March fuel data pointing to sharp petrol and diesel hikes while Treasury’s latest budget also confirms higher fuel levies from 1 April.

Mid-March data from the Central Energy Fund (CEF) shows sizeable under-recoveries for both petrol and diesel, with Petrol 95 tracking a 427 cents per litre increase and diesel showing hikes of more than R7 per litre if current trends continue into the end of the month.

Here are the expected fuel prices for April:

• Petrol 93: increase of 387 cents per litre
• Petrol 95: increase of 427 cents per litre
• Diesel 0.05% (wholesale): increase of 704 cents per litre
• Diesel 0.005% (wholesale): increase of 715 cents per litre
• Illuminating paraffin: increase of 899 cents per litre

Here are practical fuel-saving tips:

Drive smoothly and avoid harsh acceleration or hard braking. Gentle pull-offs, lighter throttle use and keeping revs lower can reduce fuel use, especially in stop-start town traffic. The AA says aggressive driving and speeding both increase consumption.

Slow down a little on the open road. Higher speeds use more fuel, and the AA notes that even dropping from 120km/h to 110km/h can help cut your petrol bill over time.

Check your tyre pressure regularly. Under-inflated tyres create more rolling resistance, which makes the engine work harder and burns more fuel. This is one of the easiest savings to lock in.

Plan routes and combine trips. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy advises motorists to plan trips and minimise short trips where possible, while recent South African motoring advice also recommends avoiding unnecessary congestion and repeated cold starts.

Avoid unnecessary idling. Leaving the engine running while parked or waiting wastes fuel for no distance gained. Switching off when safe and practical can help stretch a tank further.

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