{"id":820044,"date":"2026-07-24T03:44:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T03:44:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/820044\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T03:44:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T03:44:55","slug":"high-fuel-prices-have-permanently-changed-the-way-millions-of-australians-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/820044\/","title":{"rendered":"High fuel prices have permanently changed the way millions of Australians live"},"content":{"rendered":"

After five months of elevated fuel prices amid the Iran conflict<\/a>, more than one in three Australians has permanently changed the way they live.<\/p>\n

Many people are swapping the car for public transport, changing jobs or even moving house, new research has found.<\/p>\n

The survey, commissioned by lender Credit24<\/a> and conducted by Primara Research<\/a>, found 37 per cent of respondents had adopted lifestyle changes they do not expect to reverse as households continue to grapple with higher petrol and diesel costs.<\/p>\n

The conflict in the Middle East<\/a> drove up global oil prices as traders feared disruptions to supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n

For Sydney<\/a> tech worker Alan, 34, who asked that only his first name be used, the fuel price shock changed far more than his weekly budget.<\/p>\n

After negotiating with his employer to work from home four days a week during the height of the fuel crisis, he later traded his petrol-powered Suzuki Jimny for a second-hand electric Tesla Model 3, slashing his transport costs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can just charge it at home,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve got a really competitive plan … it\u2019s basically $12 a month to charge my car.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FiveFive months after the Iran conflict sent global oil prices soaring, many households say the changes they made to cope with higher fuel costs have become permanent. Credit: 7NEWS\"SydneySydney tech worker Alan swapped his Suzuki Jimny for a second-hand Tesla Model 3 after fuel prices surged, saying the move now saves his household hundreds of dollars a month. Credit: Suzuki\/Tesla<\/p>\n

Alan estimates the switch saves his household<\/a> about $150 to $300 a month and says he has no intention of going back. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think it goes a long way for us because it just means it goes to other stuff, paying other bills,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome things we just don\u2019t have any control over … so moving to an EV was the obvious choice. I don\u2019t look back.\u201d<\/p>\n

The research comes as Australia enters a fifth month of higher fuel prices, with petrol still about 5 per cent above pre-crisis levels and diesel about 8 per cent higher. <\/p>\n

The remaining 16-cent-a-litre fuel excise cut is also due to end this month<\/a>, adding further pressure at the bowser.<\/p>\n

Many said the changes they made had become a permanent part of daily life.<\/p>\n

According to the survey, 23.5 per cent of respondents said they were using public transport more often, while 14 per cent were walking or cycling instead of driving. <\/p>\n

Another 6.1 per cent had bought or leased an electric vehicle or hybrid, while others had changed jobs, moved house or negotiated more flexible work arrangements.<\/p>\n

Millennials were the most likely generation to make a lasting change, with 47.8 per cent saying their new habits were permanent, ahead of Gen Z (40.3 per cent) and Gen X (37.2 per cent). <\/p>\n

Just 21.7 per cent of Baby Boomers reported making long-term changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cFuel is the trigger here, but the pattern is bigger than fuel,\u201d Primara Research head of research and data Peter Drennan said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce a cost stops feeling temporary, Australians adjust and stay adjusted. That\u2019s the real signal in this data.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AlmostAlmost one in four respondents said they now use public transport for regular trips, while many others have embraced walking, cycling or more fuel-efficient vehicles. Credit: Primara Research<\/p>\n

He said the results highlighted how little financial breathing room many households now had.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a cost holds for long enough, budgeting isn\u2019t optional anymore. People are forced to find the money somewhere else in their lives,\u201d Drennan said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe generational gap here is really a gap in how much financial buffer people have to begin with.\u201d<\/p>\n

The findings were echoed in the comments of a 7NEWS Facebook poll, where readers described buying bikes and hybrid cars, catching buses, walking to work, combining errands into a single trip, carpooling and only using the car when absolutely necessary.<\/p>\n

Others said they had taken on extra work to cover higher fuel bills or simply shopped around for the cheapest bowser prices. <\/p>\n

Some, particularly in regional areas, said there was simply no alternative to driving.<\/p>\n

Alan said the changes extended beyond buying a new car, with his family also carpooling more often and thinking twice about unnecessary trips. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re just trying to not be susceptible to those external changes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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