Petrol Price History in Pakistan (2022–2026)

How petrol prices are set in Pakistan

Petrol prices are calculated by OGRA (the Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority) and notified by the Petroleum Division under the federal government. The starting point is the international Platts Arab Gulf benchmark converted into rupees; on top of that sit the petroleum levy, the climate support levy, and fixed margins for oil marketing companies and dealers.

The pricing timeline

• Fortnightly — until February 2026, prices were revised on the 1st and 16th of each month.
• Weekly — from March 2026, after the oil shock made fortnightly pricing too slow to track a fast-moving market.
• Daily — from mid-July 2026, on a rolling 7-day average of the Platts Arab Gulf benchmark.

What the petroleum levy and climate support levy are

The petroleum levy is a fixed rupee charge per litre that goes straight to the federal government — it does not change when the base price changes, so its share of the pump price rises when fuel is cheap and falls when fuel is dear. The climate support levy is a newer, smaller per-litre charge earmarked for climate-related spending. Because both are fixed amounts rather than percentages, they make the pump price less volatile than the underlying oil price.

Why diesel now costs more than petrol

For years petrol and diesel tracked each other closely. During the 2026 shock they decoupled, and high-speed diesel is now the dearer fuel. That matters more than it sounds: diesel runs the trucks and buses that move goods, the tractors that grow food, and the generators that back up the grid. When diesel rises, freight and food prices follow — so a diesel increase reaches households that never buy a litre of it themselves.

The 2026 shock

War began on 28 February 2026, and oil markets moved violently. On 3 April 2026 petrol jumped +Rs 137.24 in a single revision to a record Rs 458.41 — the largest one-day increase ever. A day later, on 4 April, it was cut −Rs 80.00, the largest cut ever, alongside targeted subsidies aimed at shielding lower-income households. Prices have swung widely since as the market settled.