September 2026 was the most expensive September for gasoline on record. AAA says the national average for regular averaged $4.33 a gallon over the month, 50 cents above the old September record of $3.83 set in 2023. Prices have started to ease since, but not by much. AAA put the national average at $4.41 on October 1, down from $4.48 a week earlier, and the Energy Information Administration measured $4.354 on Monday, October 5, down 11.1 cents on the week.
The comparison that matters at the pump is the one with last year. AAA had regular at $3.16 on this date in 2025, and the EIA calculates the current price as $1.230 higher than a year ago. For a driver who fills a 15-gallon tank, that works out to about $18.45 more per fill-up. A month ago, on AAA's count, the average was $4.10, so the September run-up was steep.
Where prices are highest, and lowest
The national number hides a wide spread. AAA's October 1 report listed California at $6.40, Hawaii at $5.62 and Washington at $5.49 as the most expensive states. The cheapest were Indiana at $3.81, Texas at $3.94 and Georgia at $3.96. That is a gap of $2.59 a gallon between the top and bottom of the list. The EIA's regional data tell the same story: California averaged $6.227, while the Gulf Coast region was cheapest at $3.911.
Diesel is hurting more. The EIA put the national on-highway average at $6.199 a gallon, down 18.3 cents on the week, with California at $8.082, the highest in the country. That matters to truck owners and, indirectly, to anyone buying goods that move by road.
What is behind the price
Crude oil is the biggest piece. In the EIA's May 2026 breakdown, crude made up 52% of the retail price of gasoline, refining 22%, distribution and marketing 15% and taxes 12%. AAA noted that WTI crude settled at $90.42 a barrel on its latest report. Demand softened a little in the weekly data AAA cited, with gasoline demand falling from 8.84 million to 8.68 million barrels a day, which fits with the small dip at the pump.
What the numbers mean for your fuel bill
At $4.35 a gallon, fuel economy is worth real money. The table below uses the EIA price and a typical 15,000 miles a year. These are Drive Edition's own calculations, not EPA estimates.
Annual fuel cost at $4.35 a gallon
| Combined mpg | Gallons a year | Fuel cost a year |
|---|---|---|
| 20 mpg | 750 | $3,263 |
| 25 mpg | 600 | $2,610 |
| 35 mpg | 429 | $1,864 |
| 57 mpg | 263 | $1,145 |
Assumes 15,000 miles a year. Calculated from the EIA's October 5, 2026 national average of $4.354, rounded to $4.35.
The 57 mpg row is the base 2026 Toyota Prius, which the EPA rates at 57 mpg combined; fueleconomy.gov lists its annual fuel cost at $1,200. Moving from a 25-mpg crossover to a car like that would save roughly $1,465 a year at today's prices. The 2026 Camry, now sold only as a hybrid, is rated up to 51 mpg combined in front-wheel-drive LE form.
Electric-vehicle owners have a different calculation. AAA says public charging averaged 42 cents per kilowatt-hour nationally, unchanged on the week, from 31 cents in Kansas to 54 cents in Hawaii. Charging at home usually costs less, but it does not track the pump price from week to week.
