Petrol now costs Rs145.13 more per litre than it did at the start of the year, and the petrol price rise 2026 has become one of the biggest household expenses in Pakistan. Petrol stood at Rs253.17 a litre in January, and the latest rate, set on October 10, is Rs398.30 a litre. High-speed diesel has risen by Rs139.16 over the same period, from Rs257.08 to Rs396.24 a litre.
The figures, reported by The Express Tribune on Monday, cover a year of sharp swings. Prices first climbed steeply in March as the US-Iran war pushed up global oil rates. Petrol then peaked at Rs458.41 a litre on April 3, while diesel touched Rs520.35 the same day. Rates have eased from those highs, but they remain far above January levels.
Petrol price rise 2026: how daily revisions changed pricing
The way prices are set has also changed. Earlier, the government revised fuel rates every two weeks. In July, however, the petroleum minister announced that the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) would fix prices daily, because international rates were moving too fast for a fortnightly system. Daily adjustments began on July 21.
Since then, small steps have replaced big jumps. Petrol has been raised 35 times and cut 22 times under the daily system. Diesel has been raised 34 times and cut 23 times. As a result, pump prices now change by small amounts almost every day, and drivers rarely know the exact rate before they reach the station.
The latest revision shows the pattern clearly. On October 10, petrol was cut by 66 paisa from the previous rate of Rs398.96, while diesel rose by 52 paisa. The full official table for that day is published by Mettis Global.
| Fuel | January 2026 | October 10, 2026 | Rise this year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | Rs253.17 | Rs398.30 | Rs145.13 |
| High-speed diesel | Rs257.08 | Rs396.24 | Rs139.16 |
What the rise means for household budgets
A simple calculation shows the effect on a family car. Filling a 40-litre tank with petrol cost about Rs10,127 in January. The same fill now costs about Rs15,932, a difference of roughly Rs5,805 per tank. For motorcycle riders, who form the largest group of petrol buyers, even a 10-litre fill now costs about Rs1,451 more than in January.
Taxes form a large part of the pump price, and the levy has become a political issue. Official figures put petroleum levy collections at about Rs1.205 trillion between July 2025 and March 2026, rising to about Rs1.342 trillion through April. The government has set a levy target of Rs1.676 trillion for the 2026-27 fiscal year. Opposition parties have attacked the collections, and Jamaat-e-Islami has demanded a meeting with the prime minister over the petroleum levy.
Relief measures sit alongside the high prices. The government runs a fuel subsidy scheme for registered low-income users, and the finance ministry has faced questions over IMF objections linked to the subsidy programme. For now, though, the daily system means the next change, up or down, will arrive within a day rather than a fortnight.
How much has petrol risen in 2026?
Petrol has risen by Rs145.13 a litre since January, from Rs253.17 to Rs398.30. High-speed diesel has risen by Rs139.16, from Rs257.08 to Rs396.24 a litre.
When did daily fuel pricing start in Pakistan?
OGRA began fixing fuel prices daily on July 21, 2026. Since then petrol has been raised 35 times and cut 22 times, while diesel has been raised 34 times and cut 23 times.
What was the highest petrol price this year?
Petrol peaked at Rs458.41 a litre on April 3, 2026, during the sharp rise in global oil prices linked to the US-Iran war. Diesel peaked the same day at Rs520.35 a litre.
