Transport CPI Trend
Cumulative % above 2019-Q2, ABS CPI Transport group, quarterly.
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 the most volatile component of the transport basket. Retail pump prices respond to international crude benchmark movements within 1–2 weeks, and the ABS CPI reading lags retail movements within the quarter. See the Fuel page for the live pop-weighted national average.
Maintenance and repairs reflect 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 have moderated from the double-digit increases of the 2021–23 supply shortage. Inventory has normalised for most segments, though EVs and popular ute models remain constrained.
Urban transport fares broadly track headline CPI over time. 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.