Gas Prices Skyrocket Amid Mideast Uncertainty
What Consumers Should Know
- The national average for a gallon of regular gas is $3.478, up around 48 cents compared to last week.
- The uncertainty in the Middle East along with a seasonal uptick in demand are causing the spike.
Anxiety is up around the latest crisis in the Middle East, and so are gas prices. According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gas has jumped by around 48 cents since last week, to $3.478.
Related: How to Save Money on Gas
That’s today’s national average price for a gallon of regular gas; a gallon of premium gas costs $4.342 nationally, and diesel is up to $4.656 a gallon. The increase is sharp compared with last month’s national average prices for regular fuel ($2.902), premium ($3.764) and diesel ($3.634).
National Average Gas Prices (AAA)
| Timeframe | Regular | Mid-Grade | Premium | Diesel | E85 |
| March 9 | $3.478 | $3.976 | $4.342 | $4.656 | $2.764 |
| March 8 | $3.450 | $3.942 | $4.306 | $4.595 | $2.762 |
| March 2 | $2.997 | $3.486 | $3.861 | $3.770 | $2.359 |
| Feb. 9 | $2.902 | $3.396 | $3.764 | $3.634 | $2.308 |
| March 9, 2025 | $3.089 | $3.563 | $3.918 | $3.635 | $2.515 |
Some states are feeling the pinch more than others. In California, for example, the average price for a gallon of regular is $5.204. Similarly, in Nevada, prices are up to $4.212 a gallon. Some Midwest states have escaped the inflation — for now. In Kansas, for example, the average for a gallon of regular is just $2.922.
According to AAA, the sharp increase is a matter of timing, with the war in Iran disrupting global energy supplies and causing uncertainty in addition to a seasonal uptick in demand. AAA reports that gas prices typically rise in spring as demand increases and summer-blend gasoline production begins.
While the price of gas stings, it could be worse. The highest recorded average price of gas was $5.016 a gallon in June 2022, during the beginning of the Russian/Ukraine conflict.
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