Why are gas prices going up?
Down 1¢ from last week, up $1.35 from a year ago. Week of September 28, 2026.
What pushed it up, and what's easing
- Crude spiked, then pulled back. Brent crude jumped above $113 a barrel in mid-to-late September, then eased to about $97 by October 1 as Gulf shipping partly recovered. Crude is roughly half of the pump price; refining, taxes and the station's margin are the rest.
- The Strait of Hormuz, recovering but fragile. About a fifth of the world's oil moves through it. A September 10 drone attack knocked out Saudi Arabia's alternate pipeline route to the Red Sea, forcing more crude back through the strait. Saudi shipments are back near pre-war levels, but regional traffic overall is still down more than half from February, and Iran's exports have collapsed under a U.S. naval blockade.
- Diesel still near a record. U.S. diesel averaged $6.38 a gallon the week of September 28, well above the prior record. That raises the cost of trucking everything, gas deliveries included.
- Relief depends on the shipping lanes staying open. Winter-blend gasoline, worth 10 to 15 cents, is already priced in by now. Further easing or another spike both depend on whether Gulf shipping stays open, which remains unsettled.
Sources: CNBC, Sep 30 · The National, Sep 29 · Brent crude, Oct 1 · EIA weekly retail prices
Where it moved most this week
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What you can do about it
- Stop shopping the sign. A cashback app, a gas rewards card and the station's loyalty program stacked together can take 10 to 40 cents off a gallon. Fill up finds the stations near your ZIP and shows which one actually wins.
- Count the detour. Driving four extra miles to save 5 cents can cost more than it saves. The verdict counts it for you.
- Get told when it drops. Every area page has a one-email alert for when the weekly average falls.
- If you are shopping for a car, see what a hybrid or an EV would save you at today's price.
Questions people ask
Why did gas prices go up in September 2026?
Crude oil, which is roughly half of what you pay per gallon, spiked after a drone attack on September 10 knocked out Saudi Arabia's Red Sea pipeline. That pushed more tankers through the already-tense Strait of Hormuz, the route for about a fifth of the world's oil. Brent crude jumped to around $113 a barrel at the peak.
Are gas prices still rising?
No. Brent crude has eased to about $97 a barrel as of October 1 as Saudi shipments through the strait returned close to pre-crisis levels. The U.S. average ticked down 1.3 cents the week of September 28. Combined traffic through the region's three oil chokepoints is still running over 50% below February levels, and analysts say prices could climb again if the ceasefire holding the route open breaks down.
What is the average gas price in the U.S. this week?
$4.47 a gallon for regular the week of September 28, 2026, down 1.3 cents from the week before and up about $1.35 from a year ago, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Diesel is at $6.38, still near record levels.
How can I pay less for gas when prices are high?
The sign price is not what you actually pay. Stacking a cashback app, a gas rewards card and the station's loyalty program can take 10 to 40 cents off a gallon. The cheapest sign can lose once the detour to reach it is counted. PumpWatt's Fill up tool does that math for the stations near your ZIP.
Weekly retail averages from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, published each Monday. The headline number refreshes from the EIA weekly average each time the page loads.
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