1. Our Data Sources
BowserWars displays fuel prices from the following sources, each clearly labelled on the site:
The NSW Government's mandatory price reporting scheme. All service stations in NSW are legally required to submit price changes within 30 minutes. Data is refreshed every 5 minutes. This is the most accurate data source on the platform.
Coverage: All fuel types, all NSW stations
The Western Australia Government's FuelWatch scheme. Prices are set and locked for each 24-hour period (6am to 5:59am). Data is updated daily and is accurate to the day.
Coverage: ULP91, E10, Diesel, P95, P98, LPG
Victoria's Department of Treasury and Finance operates the ROVR fuel price reporting scheme. Coverage is expanding. Data is updated daily.
Coverage: Expanding — major chains covered
Tasmania does not have a mandatory fuel price reporting scheme. BowserWars uses RACT weekly survey data combined with community-submitted prices. Prices are estimates only.
Coverage: Major centres, ULP91 and Diesel only
These states and territories do not have mandatory government price reporting schemes. BowserWars derives estimates from wholesale terminal gate prices (published by the Australian Institute of Petroleum), historical pricing patterns, and community-submitted prices. These figures carry a higher margin of error.
Coverage: City averages only. Station-level data sparse.
2. Understanding Live API vs Estimated Badges
Sourced directly from an official government API with a legal mandate for accurate reporting. These prices are as accurate as the reporting scheme allows — typically within 30 minutes to 24 hours of the actual pump price change.
States: NSW, WA, VIC
Derived from wholesale pricing data, historical patterns, and community reports. No government reporting mandate exists for these regions. Treat these figures as a rough guide only — prices may vary significantly from the displayed value.
States: TAS, QLD, SA, ACT, NT
3. ACCC Calibration Methodology
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) publishes quarterly fuel price monitoring reports that we use to calibrate and validate our city average estimates.
Our calibration process:
- We ingest the ACCC's published quarterly average retail prices for each capital city and major fuel type.
- For states with Live API data, we compare our rolling 90-day averages to the ACCC figures and apply a correction factor if our averages deviate by more than 2 cents/litre.
- For Estimated states, we use ACCC city averages as the anchor point and apply wholesale terminal gate price movements (Australian Institute of Petroleum weekly data) to project forward from the ACCC benchmark date.
- Community price reports that differ from the current estimate by more than 20 cents/litre are held for manual review before being incorporated.
This calibration reduces — but does not eliminate — estimation error. Estimated prices should still be treated as approximate.
4. Data Freshness
| State | Source | Refresh frequency | Max age |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | FuelCheck API | Every 5 min | 30 min |
| WA | FuelWatch API | Daily 6am | 24 hours |
| VIC | DTF ROVR API | Daily | 24 hours |
| TAS | RACT / Community | Weekly + community | 7 days |
| QLD/SA/ACT/NT | Wholesale + community | Weekly | 7 days |
5. No Reliance — Liability Disclaimer
Fuel prices displayed on BowserWars are sourced directly from official Australian government fuel price reporting APIs including WA FuelWatch, NSW FuelCheck and Service Victoria Servo Saver. Western Australian prices are legally mandated and binding for the day of publication. Victorian prices are subject to a mandatory 24-hour publication delay. Prices for Queensland, South Australia, Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory are calibrated estimates based on ACCC monitoring data. While BowserWars strives for accuracy, prices at the pump may differ from those displayed. BowserWars accepts no liability for pricing discrepancies. Always confirm the price displayed at the station before filling up.
All information on BowserWars is provided for general informational purposes only. You must independently verify any price before travelling to a fuel station. BowserWars accepts no liability for loss or inconvenience resulting from reliance on prices displayed on this site. See our full Terms of Service for details.
6. Reporting Errors
If you notice a price significantly different from what is displayed, please use the community price reporting tool on the homepage or email us at hello@bowserwars.com.au. Accurate community reports help everyone.