The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline rose sharply over the past week, increasing nearly 27 cents to $3.25, according to AAA.
The increase comes as crude oil prices climb amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East, pushing oil prices into the mid-$70-per-barrel range.
The latest national average of $3.251 per gallon is up from $2.983 one week ago and $2.891 a month ago, AAA reported. Prices are also slightly higher than $3.107 per gallon recorded one year ago.
AAA noted that the national average is now similar to where prices stood in early April 2025. The last time gasoline prices saw a comparable weekly jump was in March 2022 at the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Seasonal factors are also contributing to rising prices. Gasoline demand typically increases during the spring as more drivers take to the roads and refineries transition to producing more expensive summer-blend gasoline.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, gasoline demand declined slightly last week from 8.73 million barrels per day to 8.29 million barrels per day. Domestic gasoline supply also fell from 254.8 million barrels to 253.1 million barrels, while gasoline production increased to an average of 9.3 million barrels per day.
Crude oil prices also edged higher. At the close of Wednesday’s trading session, West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 10 cents to settle at $74.66 per barrel. The EIA reported U.S. crude oil inventories increased by 3.5 million barrels to 439.3 million barrels, which remains about 3% below the five-year average for this time of year.
Gasoline prices vary widely across the country. The most expensive markets include California ($4.81), Washington ($4.44), Hawaii ($4.43), Oregon ($4.04), and Nevada ($3.87). The least expensive markets include Oklahoma ($2.79), Mississippi ($2.81), Kansas ($2.83), Tennessee ($2.84), and Texas ($2.87).
Meanwhile, the national average cost of electricity at public electric vehicle charging stations remained unchanged at 39 cents per kilowatt-hour.
AAA said drivers can track gas and electric charging prices along travel routes using its TripTik Travel planner.
