AAA reports $4.53 average gas price

AAA said Friday the national average price for regular gasoline was $4.528 a gallon, down from $4.534 a day earlier and below $4.546 a week ago. The reading kept pump prices near the highest levels seen since 2022 just days before the Memorial Day travel period begins. (gasprices.aaa.com) AAA’s fuel tracker also showed the average was $4.108 a month ago and $3.193 a year ago. AAA released the figure as it projected heavy holiday travel. On May 11, the group said 45 million Americans would travel at least 50 miles from home between Thursday, May 21, and Monday, May 25, with 39.1 million expected to go by car and 3.66 million by air. (news.aaa-calif.com) (newsroom.aaa.com) The price data and the travel forecast together show what drivers are facing next week: a slight day-to-day easing in fuel costs, but a much higher bill than a year ago. AAA’s Southern California Auto Club said Thursday that the national average was down two cents from a week earlier but still $1.35 above the level of a year earlier. (gasprices.aaa.com) ### How much are drivers paying right now? AAA’s national tracker listed regular gasoline at $4.528 a gallon on May 15. Mid-grade averaged $5.016, premium $5.391 and diesel $5.662, according to the same update. The day-earlier figure was $4.534, which means the national average slipped by about six-tenths of a cent in 24 hours. (newsroom.aaa.com) Compared with a week earlier, the average was down 1.8 cents. Compared with a month earlier, it was up 42 cents. ### How does that compare with last year? AAA’s fuel data showed the national average was $3.193 a gallon a year ago. That puts the current average roughly $1.34 to $1.35 higher than the same point in 2025, depending on rounding. (news.aaa-calif.com) AAA’s Southern California Auto Club used the same comparison in a Thursday release, saying national prices remained elevated ahead of the summer driving season. The group said California’s statewide average was $6.14 a gallon, down two cents from a week earlier and $1.22 above a year earlier. (gasprices.aaa.com) ### What is pushing the numbers higher? (gasprices.aaa.com) Kandace Redd, a spokesperson for the Auto Club of Southern California, said Thursday that “the conflict in Iran” had added volatility to global oil markets and contributed to swings in pump prices. She also said demand typically rises as the summer driving season approaches. (gasprices.aaa.com) The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s latest weekly update, released May 12, showed its national retail gasoline data would be updated again on May 19. That schedule means another government snapshot will arrive just before the holiday travel window opens. (news.aaa-calif.com) ### Are Americans still planning to travel? AAA said May 11 that 45 million Americans are expected to travel over the Memorial Day period, which would top last year’s 44.8 million. The group said 39.1 million would drive and 3.66 million would fly. Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel, said in the forecast that travel demand remained strong despite higher fuel prices. (news.aaa-calif.com) AAA also said the holiday period it tracks runs from May 21 through May 25. ### When will the next key updates arrive? (eia.gov) May 19 is the next release date for the Energy Information Administration’s weekly gasoline and diesel update. AAA’s daily fuel tracker will continue posting national and state averages each day as the holiday approaches. May 21 is the start of AAA’s Memorial Day travel period, and the group’s forecast runs through May 25. (newsroom.aaa.com) Those dates will provide the next concrete test of whether slightly lower pump prices are enough to offset the higher year-over-year cost facing drivers. (eia.gov)