Diesel prices should be lower, says RACQ

Petrol stations are short-changing diesel users by more than 10 cents a litre, Queensland's motoring club RACQ says.

The RACQ said refinery prices for diesel had dropped about 15 cents a litre in the past three weeks, but average retail prices had dipped by less than five cents.

RACQ general manager Gary Fites said wholesale diesel prices had dropped by 16.1 cents a litre between July 11 and July 30.

He said diesel was selling at an average 172.8 cents a litre in Brisbane, with pump prices in regional centres commonly retailing for a few cents more.

"Traditionally, diesel has been the fuel that south-east Queensland retailers have relied on to provide consistent margins in the face of weekly discounting," Mr Fites said.

"But given the steady slide in refinery and wholesale prices over three weeks, diesel users can justifiably feel cheated by a drop of little more than four cents a litre to date."

Mr Fites said refinery prices for unleaded petrol also had fallen by 13.4 cents a litre since July 11.

"Regrettably, we're finding - as with diesel - that petrol prices have been much slower to come down outside the southeast, with even major centres recording drops of only a few cents a litre over the past week," he said.

"Yet again it appears regional motorists are literally paying the cost of running their vehicles in smaller, less competitive markets than that which exists around Brisbane."