Queensland drivers planning to head away for the Easter break should consider filling the tank now, with petrol prices set to spike over coming days.

RACQ spokesperson Lauren Ritchie said it looked like it would “be in the most expensive phase of the price cycle”.

“That means we’ll see average prices probably around $1.65 a litre for unleaded — so very high, and retailers are taking substantial margins on that,” she said.

“Probably by the end of this weekend we will see all retailers in the most expensive phase of the cycle.”

A number of service stations across Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Logan and the Gold Coast are already selling unleaded petrol for 169.9 cents per litre, but some retailers are still selling for as low as 122.9 cents per litre.

On Thursday afternoon, the cheapest fuel could be found at Ipswich and on the Sunshine Coast.

“If you are heading out and do need to fill up, make sure you are filling up for $1.30 or less,” Ms Ritchie said.

“Those sites are disappearing quickly and we don’t expect to see cheap prices for much longer.”

She said the current “cheap phase” in the petrol price cycle had been the longest experienced in 2021.

“At the moment, this cheap phase has lasted 10 days — usually it’s about six,” Ms Ritchie said.