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Motorists were lashed by fuel price rises from the main oil companies yesterday, although industry minnow Gull Petroleum called these premature, and vowed not to move until at least Monday.
The big four companies all raised their petrol price by 5c a litre to 160.9c at main-centre pumps, blaming rising import costs, but showed less uniformity over diesel.
Shell and Caltex increased price of diesel by 3c to 113.9c, but BP and Mobil went for a 5c increase to 115.9c.
The rise followed two price cuts in quick succession last week, in which petrol and diesel fell by 8c a litre.
But world oil prices rose 2 per cent on Thursday after a decline in United States stocks, and BP says its import costs for both petrol and diesel are more than 6 per cent higher than they were late last week.
Gull regional manager Dave Bodger said crude oil increases had yet to boost the price of his refined fuel, and he believed the other companies had moved too fast.
"It's premature - our reading of the overseas market is that we don't need to move right now."
Gull would not raise prices at its 30 North Island stations till its cost review was over.
