Australians turned to news sites, fuel comparison platforms and electric vehicle brands in March as concern grew around the global fuel crisis, according to new Ipsos iris data.
The data show that 21.5 million people used a news website or app during the month, representing 95.3 per cent of online Australians aged 14 and over.
Australians also spent longer with news content, averaging 3.58 hours per month in March, up from 3.12 hours in February.
Fuel comparison audiences climb
Audience numbers for fuel comparison brand Petrol Spy Australia rose 126 per cent month-on-month, reaching 5.2 million Australians in March. That was up from 2.3 million in February.
NSW Fuel Check also recorded a sharp rise, with its audience increasing 75.6 per cent from 900,000 in February to 1.58 million in March.
Users also spent more time on NSW Fuel Check, averaging 22.4 minutes per person compared with 12.6 minutes in February.
Fuel-related brands also grew their online audiences month-on-month, with 7-Eleven up 10 per cent, Ampol up 54 per cent and United Petroleum up 30 per cent.
EV interest rises amid petrol concerns
Automotive manufacturing brands focused on hybrid and fully electric vehicles recorded a 22 per cent month-on-month increase in audience.
The category added 431,000 people in March, suggesting stronger consumer interest in petrol alternatives, while the broader automotive brand category remained flat.
News brands benefit from major events
Ipsos iris said the Middle East fuel crisis was a key news driver locally, including coverage of petrol shortages, possible fuel caps, free public transport in Victoria and the release of oil reserves.
Other high-interest news topics included the case of fugitive Dezi Freeman, the South Australian election results, Cyclone Narelle in Western Australia, flooding in Queensland, the Australian Grand Prix and the Oscars red carpet.
In entertainment, audiences followed coverage of the professional split of Kyle and Jackie O, along with the death of Married At First Sight expert Mel Schilling.
ABC News leads March ranking
The Ipsos iris March 2026 news ranking placed ABC News first with an audience of 13.181 million. news.com.au followed with 12.172 million, ahead of nine.com.au with 10.501 million.
The Guardian Australia ranked fourth with 8.714 million, followed by 7news.com.au with 8.187 million. The Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Mail Australia, BBC.com, SBS News and The Age completed the top 10.
Career category records strongest growth
The career category recorded the strongest year-on-year growth in March, rising 3.8 per cent.
Homes and property followed with 3.2 per cent growth, while automotive and events and attractions each rose 2.8 per cent. Entertainment increased 2.5 per cent.
Ipsos iris reported that 22.57 million Australians aged 14 and over used the internet in March, up 2 per cent year-on-year. Australians spent an average of 4.9 hours online each day, up 1.7 per cent year-on-year.
The most-consumed digital categories were social networking at 22.49 million, search engines at 22.47 million, online media at 22.44 million, technology at 22.39 million, and entertainment at 22.22 million.
Ipsos iris is Australia’s digital audience measurement currency endorsed by IAB Australia. It measures audience behaviour across smartphones, PCs, laptops and tablets using a hybrid methodology that combines panel data with site-centric census measurement.