Legislation is being introduced by the state government this week to crack down on service stations not playing by the rules when it comes to helping motorists find the best petrol prices.

The proposed laws will create new offences and increase penalties for service stations that fail to report accurate fuel prices and availability through the government’s FuelCheck system.

The Fair Trading (FuelCheck) Amendment Bill 2026 will extend NSW Fair Trading’s powers by making it an offence for a service station or fuel retailer to:

• Fail to report a price for fuel.

• Fail to notify if a type of fuel becomes unavailable.

In March, regulations were updated to make it mandatory for service stations to report on FuelCheck if any type of fuel became unavailable.

Service stations which fail to meet their obligations will now face significantly larger penalties.

On-the-spot fines will double to $1100 for individuals and triple for companies to $3300.

If the same station reoffends within 12 months, the on-the-spot fines will rise sharply to $5500 for individuals and $11,000 for companies.

Courts will also be empowered to impose stronger penalties, with maximum fines increasing to $55,000 for individuals while fines of up to $110,000 will continue to apply for companies.

While these changes are focused on protecting motorists, they will also support the government’s fuel security response by ensuring service stations are providing accurate and timely information on fuel pricing and availability.

FuelCheck is the state government’s real-time fuel price transparency tool putting power back in the hands of motorists by providing them with instant access to prices from around 2400 service stations across the state.

Between 1 March and 30 April, the FuelCheck app and website have been visited more than 22.4 million times.

NSW Fair Trading has now completed more than 3700 field inspections and re-inspections of service stations around the state, issuing around 230 fines.

“My message to service stations since the beginning of the conflict in the Middle East has been clear: do the wrong thing and you will be caught," Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong said.

NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Natasha Mann said that when families pull up for fuel, they deserve clear and accurate information.

“Recent fuel shortages have shown why clear information matters. These changes make sure motorists can trust the information they use to decide where to fill up," Ms Mann said.

“To support service stations doing the right thing, the FuelCheck app has been simplified, making it easier than ever for service stations to update information quickly.

“NSW Fair Trading continues with its strong statewide compliance blitz, bolstered by the community-led reporting through Bowser Busters.”