Subcategory Breakdown
Annual price movements within the ABS Transport CPI group.
Source: ABS CPI Transport group subcategories, Jan 2026.
Transport CPI Trend
Annual % change over 12 months.
Your Total Annual Transport Cost
Add up every transport expense — fuel, rego, insurance, public transport — and see how you compare to the ABS average of approximately $14,000 per year in household transport spending (ABS Household Expenditure Survey 2022–23).
Annual Transport Cost Calculator
Full-cost picture of car, public transport and rideshare — live.
ABS Household Expenditure Survey 2022–23 (Cat. 6530.0). Excludes depreciation, loan repayments, parking and tolls. Not financial advice.
What Drives Transport Costs
Motor vehicle insurance is tracked as part of the ABS Insurance and Financial Services CPI group, not the Transport group. Comprehensive motor insurance premiums have risen significantly — see the Insurance page for the full breakdown.
Automotive fuel is running at approximately +12.4% YoY in March 2026, driven by elevated crude oil prices from February 2026. Note: the ABS January 2026 CPI release recorded a lower figure for this subcategory; the current reading reflects retail price movements since that release. Retail pump prices respond to international benchmark movements within 1–2 weeks.
Maintenance and repairs are up +4.7%, reflecting ongoing labour cost pressures across mechanical trades. The shortage of qualified automotive technicians has enabled workshops to maintain elevated pricing even as parts supply chains normalised post-COVID.
New vehicle purchases rose +3.2%, a moderation from double-digit increases during the 2021–23 supply shortage. Inventory has normalised for most segments, though EVs and popular ute models remain constrained.
Urban transport fares increased +2.8%, broadly in line with CPI. State government decisions on fare freezes and increases have varied significantly — Queensland's 50-cent fare cap (since lapsed) provided temporary relief that is now unwinding.