Motorists across Australia have been warned to brace for a painful hike in petrol prices just in time for the long weekend.
Fuel prices are likely to surge from Friday onwards as New South Wales, the ACT, South Australia and Queensland prepare to have Monday off.
Corporate Communications Manager at Royal Automobile Club of Queensland Renee Smith described the hike as 'painful' and told Daily Mail Australia 'the timing couldn't be worse'.
'With Monday being the public holiday and border restrictions easing, plenty of people want to hit the road and the prices have gone up at the same time.'
Fuel prices (petrol station pictured) will surge across Australia on Friday as drivers in New South Wales, the ACT, South Australia and Queensland prepare to travel on the long weekend
Ms Smith said petrol was the most expensive in Adelaide but on the rise in Sydney and Brisbane.
'Brisbane and Sydney are in the hike phase so prices are going up and we're seeing some servos charging up near $1.50 a litre.
'That's a huge difference when you compare it to the other end of the scale where there is some cheap fuel still left closer to $1 a litre,' she explained.
Ms Smith warned drivers to carefully choose where they fill up their cars.
'It's really important that motorists are paying attention to what the servos are charging and not assuming they're all charging the same.'
She also slammed Coles Express petrol stations for leading the hike in fuel prices.
'A few of the servos go first and the rest follow when it comes to jacking up those prices and Coles Express is one of the first to go,' Ms Smith explained.
She advised motorists to use petrol pricing apps to avoid overspending on fuel.
Service stations in Brisbane and Sydney have begun charging up to $1.5 per litre and Coles Express has been slammed as the biggest price hiker (commuters pictured in Melbourne)
'The best bet is to log on to one of the many apps that are out there, with real time fuel pricing data you can see exactly what all the servos are charging.
'That's going to be the easiest way to make sure you don't get ripped off.'
Ms Smith said the best strategy was to use common sense.
'Motorists should avoid those servos where they're ripping them off, pay attention to what you're being charged and if it's over $1.40 a litre don't fill up there,' she said.
NSW, ACT and South Australia will be celebrating Labour Day on Monday while Queensland will mark the Queen's Birthday.
A Coles spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the petrol prices at Coles Express are managed by Viva Energy.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Viva Energy for comment.
Experts have urged drivers to use fuel pricing apps to avoid being ripped off
