AAA: national gas average $4.53 per gallon

AAA’s national average for a gallon of regular gasoline stood at $4.53 on Thursday, May 15, according to the group’s daily fuel tracker. The figure matched reports that pump prices had eased only slightly ahead of Memorial Day travel and remained well above year-earlier levels. By Saturday, May 16, AAA’s tracker showed the national average at $4.517, compared with $4.528 a day earlier and $4.530 a week earlier. ### Where did the $4.53 number come from? AAA publishes a daily national average based on retail pump prices, and its public tracker listed regular gasoline at $4.534 on May 14 and $4.517 on May 16. That places the May 15 national average at about $4.53, consistent with the Thursday figure cited in local reports. (gasprices.aaa.com) AAA’s fuel-price site also showed the current national averages for other grades on May 16 at $5.006 for mid-grade, $5.381 for premium and $5.652 for diesel. The same page listed the year-ago average for regular gasoline at $3.192. ### How much relief have drivers actually gotten? AAA said on May 14 that the national average had fallen for five straight days earlier in the week before starting to rise again. (gasprices.aaa.com) The group said the national average was “a couple cents lower than last week,” but added that pump prices remained elevated with crude oil near $100 a barrel. AAA’s tracker shows how narrow that pullback was. The national average for regular gasoline was $4.530 a week ago and $4.093 a month ago, meaning prices were little changed from last week but roughly 42 cents higher than a month earlier. ### Why are gasoline prices still so high? The U.S. Energy Information Administration said in its May 12 Short-Term Energy Outlook that disruptions to crude oil production in the Middle East had increased significantly since April. (gasprices.aaa.com) The agency said it assessed that Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain collectively shut in 10.5 million barrels per day of crude production in April. (gasprices.aaa.com) The EIA said its forecast assumes the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed until late May, with shipping traffic beginning to pick up in June. The agency said those disruptions were expected to keep global oil inventories falling in May and June, limiting downward pressure on crude prices even after flows through the strait begin to recover. (eia.gov) AAA tied the retail picture to that crude backdrop in its May 14 update, saying prices remained elevated with oil hovering in the $100-per-barrel range. ### What does this mean for Memorial Day drivers? AAA said on May 11 that 45 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home over the Memorial Day period from Thursday, May 21, through Monday, May 25. (eia.gov) Of those travelers, 39.1 million are expected to drive, which AAA said would set a new Memorial Day weekend record for road travel. (gasprices.aaa.com) AAA’s travel forecast said gas prices are higher than they were last Memorial Day weekend, even as flight prices are lower for some travelers who booked early. Stacey Barber, AAA Travel’s vice president, said in the release that Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer and that demand remains strong for holiday trips. (newsroom.aaa.com) ### Is this near a record for gasoline prices? AAA’s fuel tracker lists the highest recorded national average for regular unleaded at $5.016 on June 14, 2022. The May 16, 2026 national average of $4.517 is below that peak, but still more than $1.32 above the year-ago level shown on AAA’s tracker. EIA said in a February analysis that it expected lower annual average gasoline prices in 2026 and 2027 as global crude supply growth outpaced demand growth. (newsroom.aaa.com) The current May reading shows that short-term disruptions have pushed pump prices above those earlier annual expectations. That comparison is an inference based on EIA’s February outlook and current AAA pump-price data. (gasprices.aaa.com) ### What should readers watch next? May 21 through May 25 is the travel window in AAA’s Memorial Day forecast, and AAA updates its national fuel average every day on its public tracker. The EIA’s next Short-Term Energy Outlook is scheduled for June 9, when the agency is due to update its assumptions on oil supply disruptions and fuel prices. (newsroom.aaa.com) (eia.gov)