Gas back over $4
Gas is nudging road trips into a larger budget line again: the U.S. national average reached about $4.12 per gallon on April 6, 2026, with Richmond, Virginia at roughly $4.15 after a 22‑cent weekly jump and Michigan averaging lower at about $3.87 (Detroit $3.89). That means planning mileage and fill‑up locations matters — small price differences at different stations can save real money on a long drive. (thelistwire.usatoday.com) (wtvr.com) (nationaltoday.com) (npr.org)
A gallon of regular gas in the U.S. cost $4.119 on April 6, according to AAA. That was enough to push the national average above $4 for the first time since August 2022. One day later, on April 7, it had already climbed again, to $4.14. The jump was fast. AAA said the average was $4.08 on April 2 and more than a dollar lower a month earlier. (gasprices.aaa.com 1) (gasprices.aaa.com 2) (gasprices.aaa.com 3) That kind of move does not start at the corner station. It starts with oil. The Energy Information Administration says crude is the biggest piece of the pump price, and in the last decade it has usually made up a little more than half of what drivers pay for gasoline. AAA tied this spring’s surge directly to crude jumping above $100 a barrel as the Middle East conflict worsened and the Strait of Hormuz stayed closed. That chokepoint carries a huge share of the world’s oil trade, so when it seizes up, U.S. drivers feel it even if America is pumping plenty of oil at home. (eia.gov 1) (eia.gov 2) (gasprices.aaa.com) (congress.gov) That national story is showing up unevenly on the ground. Virginia’s statewide average was $4.063 on April 6, just below the national figure, but Richmond was already above both at $4.15. WTVR, citing GasBuddy’s survey of 567 stations, reported that Richmond prices rose 21.6 cents in a single week, were 82.4 cents higher than a month earlier, and stood $1.07 above the same week last year. In other words, the increase was not a slow creep. It was a lurch. (gasprices.aaa.com) (wtvr.com) Michigan shows why national averages can hide as much as they reveal. AAA listed the state average at $3.861 on April 6, well below the U.S. figure, and Metro Detroit at $3.89. Statewide prices actually fell 9 cents from the week before after a five-week climb. But that drop came after a brutal run-up. Michigan drivers were still paying about 60 cents more than a month earlier, and Detroit drivers about 66 cents more than a year earlier. Even the “cheaper” states are expensive again. (gasprices.aaa.com) (nationaltoday.com) (wnmufm.org) That is why trip planning suddenly matters in a way it did not a few months ago. A 15-gallon fill-up at the national average now costs about $61.80. The same tank in Richmond is about $62.25. In Michigan, it is about $57.92. Those gaps look small until they stack across multiple fill-ups on a long drive, and they get bigger inside states, where AAA and local reports show clear spreads between metro areas and even neighboring cities. In Michigan alone, Marquette was at $4.02 on April 6 while Flint was at $3.71. (gasprices.aaa.com) (nationaltoday.com) The strange part is that this spike landed after a year when gas had been getting cheaper, not more expensive. EIA said the U.S. average retail price for regular gasoline in 2025 was $3.10, the third straight annual decline. In December 2025, the national weekly average even dipped below $3. Then the oil shock arrived, and the old math snapped back into place. What looked like a manageable road-trip season a few months ago now depends on where you stop, because in one Michigan city the average is $3.71 and in Richmond it is $4.15.
