How petrol prices are set in Pakistan now that OGRA changes them every day

Updated 15 September 2026: Pakistan no longer revises fuel prices once a fortnight. OGRA now sets them daily. This explainer has been rewritten to match.

For years, petrol and diesel prices changed on the 1st and 16th of each month. That ended in July 2026, when the Prime Minister and cabinet decided that OGRA will determine and publish ex-depot prices every day, without needing prior government approval. Prices set on a Friday stay in force through the weekend.

On 14 September OGRA set petrol at Rs 380.24 and high-speed diesel at Rs 409.42 a litre. Since daily pricing began, petrol is up Rs 68.94 and diesel Rs 79.91, driven by the oil shock from the conflict around the Strait of Hormuz.

What is in a litre

1. Product cost: a seven-working-day rolling average of Platts Arab Gulf assessments for 92 RON petrol and 10 ppm diesel, converted to rupees at the exchange rate.
2. Import premium and incidentals: shipping and handling costs on top of the benchmark.
3. Customs duty and Refinery Regulatory Duty.
4. Inland Freight Equalisation Margin (IFEM): keeps the price the same in Gilgit as in Karachi.
5. Oil marketing company and dealer margins: fixed amounts per litre.
6. Petroleum levy: a per-litre tax that cannot exceed the ceiling approved by the cabinet. It is the government's main revenue source on fuel.

Why daily pricing moves the pump price in small steps

Because the product cost is a rolling seven-day average, a sharp jump in world oil prices feeds through over several days instead of in one fortnightly shock. That is why September has seen a run of rises of a few rupees a day rather than one large change. It works the same way on the way down.

Why the rupee matters

The product cost is priced in dollars, so a weaker rupee raises it and a stronger rupee lowers it, even if world oil prices are flat. The rupee has been gaining against the dollar for months, which has taken a little off each revision. Track it on our dollar rate page.

What it means for you

• Cost per kilometre: a 1,300cc car doing 12 km per litre now spends about Rs 31.70 per km on petrol (Rs 380.24 divided by 12).
• A full 40-litre tank costs Rs 15,209.60.
• Diesel feeds into transport fares and food prices, usually with a lag of a few weeks.
• Small vehicles: owners of motorcycles, rickshaws and cars up to 800cc can claim Rs 100 off per litre on a monthly quota through SMS to 9771.

Work out your own monthly fuel bill with the fuel cost calculator. Searchable records every change on the petrol price and diesel price pages.