ACT drivers pay more for petrol says Australian Automobiles Association report

The Australian Automobiles Association report found higher prices meant Canberrans spent $274 more on petrol over the 12 months to March.

NRMA director Kate Lundy said skyrocketing costs showed the need for live fuel price data in the ACT to create competition at the bowser and drive prices down.

"The current situation, where petrol in Canberra is more expensive than many country towns in regional NSW, is unnecessarily increasing the cost of living," Ms Lundy said.

The report's Transport Affordability Index is based on incomes and transport costs for a hypothetical two-car Australian household, with a couple and two kids, and compares what their costs would be in each of capital city.

In Canberra, this hypothetical family would spend $16,268 each year in transport costs, placing the city as the fifth most expensive capital in Australia.

But this equates to 11 per cent of household income being spent on transport costs, compared with the national average of 13.6 per cent, placing Canberra as the second-most affordable capital.

Canberrans spent the most on car loan repayments due to higher upfront car prices.

The capital has the second highest costs for registration, beaten only by Sydney, while insurance costs have dropped slightly since the previous quarter.

While Canberra had a $42 increase to public transport costs over the past year, it's the third most affordable capital in Australia.

The bush capital and Sydney were on par in weekly roadside assistance spending.

Ms Lundy said the federal government increased the fuel excise by 40c on February 1, and households now faced $1035 in fuel excise costs each year.

"Motorists [will pay] $12.5 billion in net fuel excise in 2017-18, but this [won't be] returned to motorists through transport infrastructure investment, which will drop from 66 per cent in 2017-18 to 30 per cent in 2020-21," Ms Lundy said.