Riverside Gas Prices Reverse Two-Week Drop

Riverside County’s average gas price stopped falling Tuesday and edged up to $5.764 a gallon after 11 drops in 12 days. (aaa.com) (mynewsla.com) AAA listed Riverside as one of California’s pricier metro areas on April 23, with the statewide average at $5.847 and the U.S. average at $4.031. Riverside’s average was $4.697 on April 22, 2025, putting this week’s price a little more than $1 above last year. (aaa.com) (mynewsla.com) The pullback had been steady for nearly two weeks. On April 18, the county average was $5.777 after nine declines in 10 days, and by April 20 it had slipped to $5.764 after 11 declines in 12 days. (mynewsla.com 1) (mynewsla.com 2) Gas prices move with crude oil first and local fuel markets second. The California Energy Commission says crude is set on the global market, while refining and distribution costs add another layer that tends to run higher in California than the national average. (energy.ca.gov) California drivers also pay for costs that do not show up the same way in most other states. The Energy Commission says January 2026 gasoline prices included about 17 cents a gallon from the Low Carbon Fuel Standard and about 25 cents from cap-and-trade, on top of federal, state and local taxes. (energy.ca.gov) That leaves Riverside motorists exposed to both world oil swings and California-specific supply strains. The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s weekly California regular gasoline series was updated April 21, showing the state still well above national pump prices even after recent easing. (eia.gov) (aaa.com) The state’s own data shows how fast that burden can change. California’s average regular price was $4.01 in January 2026, according to the Energy Commission; by late April, AAA had the statewide average at $5.847. (energy.ca.gov) (aaa.com) For now, the reversal in Riverside is small — a fraction of a cent from Monday’s average — but it ends the county’s brief run of relief at the pump. (mynewsla.com) (aaa.com)