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US gas prices: 2018 to March 2023

National averages for gas prices across the US, including current cost per gallon, gas price charts, historical data and how the states compare on prices — updated weekly.

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By

Richard Laycock

Updated

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The national average gas price this week is $3.42, down from $3.45. US gas prices over the last year are among the highest since 2018. Over the past six years, the price of gas has averaged $2.92 per gallon — or $0.50 a gallon less expensive than today.

The latest US gas prices at a glance

  1. National average: The current national average cost for gas is $3.42 (Mar. 23, 2023)(1)
  2. Previous week average: Previous week’s average cost for gas was $3.45 (Mar. 16, 2023)(1)
  3. Annual average: The annual average cost for gas in 2023 is $3.41(1)
  4. Most expensive week to buy gas in 2023: Jan. 26, 2023 saw the highest gas prices in 2023 at $3.49(1)
  5. Cheapest week to buy gas in 2023: Jan. 12, 2023 saw the lowest gas prices in 2023 at $3.28(1)
  6. Most expensive state to buy gas in 2023: The highest average gas price in 2023 was $5.02 in Hawaii (Jan. 05, 2023)(1)
  7. Cheapest state to buy gas in 2023: The lowest average gas price in 2023 was $2.83 in Georgia (Jan. 05, 2023)(1)
  8. Most expensive weekly national average since 2018: The highest weekly gas price was $4.99 per gallon the week of Jun. 16th, 2022(2)
  9. Cheapest weekly national average since 2018: The lowest weekly gas price was $1.84 per gallon on Apr. 16, 2020(2)
  10. Most expensive weekly state gas price since 2018: California at $6.43 per gallon on June 16th, 2022(2)
  11. Cheapest weekly state gas price since 2018: Wisconsin at $1.29 per gallon on (Apr. 16, 2020)(2)

Gas prices in over the last 12 months are well above the national average over the last six years, hitting $4.99 a gallon in the week of June 16, 2022 — a week in which Californians paid a whopping $6.43 per gallon.

Both prices are the highest figures in our dataset.

While the current national average of $3.42 is a far cry from the 2022 peak of $3.49 a gallon, it’s higher than the average cost of gas since 2018: $2.92 a gallon.

This means what you’ll pay at the pump in 2023 is about $0.50 more expensive than the national six-year average.

Highest gas prices in the US

California has the most expensive gas in the US as of Mar. 23, 2023, with the highest gas prices in the US costing $4.83 a gallon. It’s followed by Hawaii ($4.82) and Washington ($4.24) as the next two most expensive states to buy gas.

Cheapest states to buy gas right now

At the other end of the spectrum, gas is at its cheapest in Mississippi, costing just $2.99 as of Mar. 23, 2023. The next cheapest state to buy a gallon of gas is Oklahoma ($3.01) followed by Arkansas ($3.03).

Are gas prices going up or down?

Gas prices are down on average for the US as a whole, with the price of gas falling in 46 out of the 51 states over the last week.

The national average gas price fell from $3.45 per gallon on Mar. 16, 2023, to $3.42 per gallon on Mar. 23, 2023 — a decrease of $0.03 per gallon or about -1%.

Week-on-week price increases were seen in states including Arizona (up $0.22), Illinois (up $0.05) and District of Columbia (up $0.05).

Colorado saw gas prices fall $0.17, while Delaware saw drops of $0.13 and Ohio $0.10.

US gas prices: 2018 to 2023

US gas prices per gallon have wavered between a national average of $1.84 and $4.99 since 2018.

Americans saw the lowest annual average in 2020, when the average cost for a gallon of gas was $2.19. Fast-forward three years and gas is running an average of $3.41 so far in 2023.

Gas prices have tracked above the six-year national average consistently since early March 2021.

The year 2023 is seeing higher-than-average gas prices, with the lowest weekly national average so far this year coming in at $3.28 (Jan. 12, 2023) a gallon — a far cry from the six-year average of $2.92 a gallon.

Highest gas prices in the US: 2018–2023

It’s been an expensive year for gas in the US. How expensive? Well, in 2022 alone, we’ve seen the 10 most expensive national average prices since 2018.

Lowest average gas prices in the US: 2018–2023

While 2022 is the year of expensive gas, 2020 is host to all 10 of the cheapest gas prices since 2018.

Concerns over the price of gas are high

Gas prices rank as one of the top concerns for American adults, with 87% saying they are concerned about the price of gas going forward, according to Finder’s Consumer Confidence Index. This is only behind grocery (89%) and energy costs (88%).

In fact, 30% of respondents are extremely concerned about the cost of gas, representing the highest percentage of extreme worry among those surveyed.

To give an idea of how much you’ll pay to fill up your car, we ran the numbers on these 50 sought-after makes and models.

The most expensive model to fill up is the Ram 2500 in 2023, costing you some $109.17 at the pump. In 2022, you could have topped off the tank with $127.35.

The most costly SUVs to fill up are the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Toyota 4Runner. Both set you back $78.46 at the gas station, while you could have filled up with $91.53 a year ago.

The most expensive sedan at the pump is a Toyota Camry. The Toyota Camry costs you $53.90 to fuel up in 2023, although sedans cost much less than other vehicles. Last year’s cost: $62.88.

Top 5 most expensive vehicles to fill up

As mentioned before, the Ram 2500 comes in as the most expensive vehicle to fill up with gas, followed by the Ford F-150 and the Ram 1500 both at $88.70 to fill.

The 5 least expensive vehicles to fill up*

At the other end of the spectrum are both the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla Cross at a cost of $42.30 for a tank of gas, with the Mazda CX-30 in third at $43.33.

*These are the least expensive vehicles out of the 50 looked at by Finder.

How we got each vehicle’s fill-up cost

We based each model’s fuel tank capacity on the 2022 base model, according to Edmunds(4).

How much gasoline does the United States consume?

The US consumed roughly 135 billion gallons (or about 3.22 billion barrels) of gasoline in 2021, according to the The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)(7). This was a marked increase on 2020, when the pandemic saw massive drops in gas consumption, with April 2020 seeing a reduction of 40% compared to April 2019 before consumption rebounded later in the year(3).

How much can an electric vehicle save you at the pump?

You could save between $105 to $138 per month on fuel costs by choosing a fully electric vehicle over a gas-powered one. However, the exact amount you’ll spend on charging an electric car depends on where you charge it.

The cost of charging an electric vehicle

Charging at home may cost you in the ballpark of $40 per month, if you drive 14,000 miles per year and get four miles per kilowatt-hour (kWh). We base the at-home cost on the average home electricity cost of 14 cents per kWh, according to the Energy Information Administration(5).

However, a Level 3 fast-charging station might run closer to $73 per month, based on EVgo’s fee(6) of $0.25 per kWh. At this price point, EVgo also charges a $7 monthly subscription fee.

Compare your savings to the average monthly gas cost across the 50 US states, which is $177.85. That cost is based on 2022 gas prices and each state’s average monthly mileage according to the Bureau of Transportation.

If you’re considering an electric vehicle, keep other electric vehicle costs and incentives in mind, such as installing an at-home battery charger or getting federal tax credits.

Popular EVs: Example costs of a one-time charge

Get an idea of how much you’ll pay each time you charge these popular electric models. Charging at home typically costs you two to three times less than charging at a Level 3 fast-charging station.

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