Federal Court action has resulted in a A$16 million (US$11.3 million) fine for Mobil Oil Australia over promotional claims about its Mobil Synergy Fuel, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said Tuesday. The regulator says the company admitted that marketing at a number of petrol stations in Queensland conveyed that the fuel contained specific additives and benefits when it did not.
Mobil Oil Australia, which supplies petroleum, diesel and other fuel products to retailers around the country, acknowledged that between August 2020 and July 2024 it made false claims about the composition and added advantages of its Mobil Synergy Fuel. The ACCC said the advertising and branding at the affected outlets gave the impression of a different or enhanced fuel product.
The ACCC's statement identified nine Mobil service stations in north and central Queensland where the misleading conduct took place: Aitkenvale, Barcaldine, Berserker, Biloela, Guthalungra, Proserpine, Rasmussen, Rural View and Yeppoon. According to the regulator, the fuel supplied to these retail sites was the same, or substantially similar, to unadditised fuel available at non-Mobil retailers.
Signage and brand messaging promoting the supposed qualities of Mobil Synergy Fuel were the means by which consumers were presented with the claims the ACCC challenged. The regulator said it was likely that some motorists filled up at these stations under the belief they were purchasing a fuel with distinct qualities that would provide particular benefits for their car engines.
"We considered it very likely that some people chose to fill up at these petrol stations because they thought they were getting a different quality of petrol with particular benefits for their car engine," ACCC Deputy Chair Mick Keogh said.
The ACCC took Mobil Oil Australia to court in 2024 over the allegations, and the regulator said the company's admitted conduct breached Australian consumer law. The penalty imposed by the Federal Court follows the company's admission and the regulator's legal action earlier in the year.
The case centers on promotional claims and consumer protection rather than differences in the physical composition of fuel sold at the identified Mobil sites versus competitor sites. The regulator's findings focus on the representation of additives and associated benefits rather than on other aspects of the company's broader supply operations or product lines.
No further corrective actions or remedies beyond the admitted conduct and the court-imposed penalty are detailed in the ACCC announcement. The limited scope of the published information leaves open questions about the extent to which similar representations may have occurred elsewhere or how retailers and consumers will respond going forward.