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Good news for road trippers and daily commuters alike: gas prices are on the slide. The national average for a gallon of regular gas is now $3.17. This is down five cents from earlier in April and a healthy 62 cents cheaper than this time last year.

So, what’s behind the dip in gas prices? 

For starters, demand has softened now that spring break season is in the rearview. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) says gasoline demand ticked up slightly this week to 8.46 million barrels per day, but that’s not enough to keep prices elevated. 

Meanwhile, crude oil is hanging out at some of its lowest levels in years, with West Texas Intermediate settling at $62.47 a barrel. That’s cheap by today’s standards and a big reason pump prices are falling.

Even with production humming at 9.4 million barrels a day, gasoline supply slipped by 2 million barrels last week. But that hasn’t stopped prices from easing.

California drivers are still paying a premium, with the state’s average hitting $4.85. Mississippi and Tennessee, on the other hand, are enjoying bargain-basement prices at $2.70, AAA shared.

EV owners aren’t seeing much change. The national average to juice up at a public charging station held steady at 34 cents per kilowatt hour. Hawaii remains the priciest place to plug in at 55 cents, while Kansas drivers enjoy the lowest average at 22 cents.

With crude prices low and summer travel just warming up, don’t be surprised if gas stays on the cheaper side…at least for now.

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Editor-in-Chief

Sarah Kennedy

Sarah Kennedy is the Editor-in-Chief of MotorBiscuit. She joined the team as Managing Editor in 2021 and has more than 20 years of automotive and operations expertise. She held ASE certifications as an Automotive Service Consultant and Parts Specialist and was a licensed car salesperson for many years. Sarah often focuses on helping drivers navigate used car buying and vehicle ownership. She created “Shop Smarts,” a column for MOTOR Magazine, and was a contributor there for eight years. Her work earned her a Gold Medalist award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors in 2014 and Bronze Medalist awards from the International Automotive Media Competition in 2014 and 2015. She attended the Automotive Management Institute and earned her bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University.