Where to Find Somerville’s Cheapest Gas

Patch reported on May 22 that Somerville drivers heading out for Memorial Day weekend could save money by comparing pump prices across the city before filling up. The local item was published as AAA forecast a record 45 million Americans would travel at least 50 miles between Thursday, May 21, and Monday, May 25. AAA said 39.1 million of those travelers were expected to drive. Massachusetts regular gas averaged $4.483 a gallon on May 24, according to AAA. Somerville’s Patch homepage listed “Find Somerville’s Cheapest Gas During Record Memorial Day Travel Weekend” among its latest local headlines on May 24. The article itself was also republished by MSN. Patch’s item pointed readers to station-by-station prices in Somerville rather than a single citywide average, reflecting how small differences at the pump can add up on a holiday weekend. ### Which number mattered most for Somerville drivers this weekend? AAA’s 39.1 million projected drivers was the key number behind the local focus on gas prices. The motor club said that figure would set a Memorial Day weekend record and account for 87% of holiday travelers. Massachusetts prices were also running well above last year. AAA said the state’s regular-gas average was $4.483 a gallon on May 24, compared with $3.010 a year earlier. WBUR reported this week that Massachusetts gas prices had moved above $4.50 a gallon for the first time since 2022. ### Where could drivers actually find a lower price in Somerville? The clearest current station-specific price visible in Somerville on May 24 was at Speedway, 709 McGrath Highway. A 7-Eleven location page for that station listed regular at $4.419 a gallon, mid-grade at $5.019 and premium at $5.419, with prices updated within 24 hours. GasBuddy and other listing sites showed that Somerville stations can vary by several cents or more, though not every listing was updated on the same day. Patch’s local item was framed around that gap: drivers who checked prices before leaving town could trim fuel costs, especially on longer trips where a full tank magnifies even modest differences. ### Why was Patch steering readers to updated listings instead of one fixed answer? Patch’s article was tied to a moving target. AAA said county and state averages are updated daily, and station operators can change retail prices faster than citywide roundups can keep pace. GasBuddy describes its service as real-time price tracking by city and ZIP code, while station websites sometimes publish their own pump prices directly. That means a “cheapest” station early in the day may not still be the cheapest later, and a listing that is more than 24 hours old may miss a change before a driver reaches the pump. ### How much could a price gap really save on a holiday trip? A 10-gallon fill-up at $4.419 a gallon would cost $44.19 before taxes and fees beyond the posted pump price. The same purchase at $4.483 a gallon — the statewide average AAA posted for May 24 — would cost $44.83, a difference of 64 cents. A 15-gallon fill-up widens that gap to 96 cents. Those are not large savings on one stop, but Patch’s advice was practical rather than sweeping: compare local prices before leaving, especially when fuel costs are elevated and millions of drivers are on the road. ### What should Somerville drivers check before they fuel up? AAA said travelers should check their tire pressure, battery and fluids before hitting the road, and it urged drivers to “Slow Down, Move Over, and drive sober” during the holiday weekend. The group said it handled more than 350,000 roadside-assistance calls over last Memorial Day weekend. Before buying gas, Somerville drivers can still compare Patch’s local item with live sources such as AAA’s Massachusetts gas page, GasBuddy’s city listings and station pages like Speedway’s McGrath Highway site. Those sources were still updating prices on May 24 as the Memorial Day travel period ran through May 25.