Indianapolis, April 30, 2026, 14:03 (EDT)
- Indiana drivers saw regular gas tick up to $4.417 a gallon on Thursday—32.5 cents higher than the day before, a jump of 72.7 cents over last week.
- Gas hit $4.99 at stations in the South Bend area, with other cities like Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Monon, and Greenwood reporting prices ranging from $4.50 up to $4.99 a gallon.
- Behind the surge: crude oil’s swinging prices linked to Strait of Hormuz worries, plus BP’s Whiting refinery outage in northwest Indiana.
Gas prices in Indiana surged close to the $5 mark on Thursday, sending the state’s average for regular unleaded soaring past the national figure. Stations across northern and central Indiana posted pump prices not seen in years. According to AAA, Indiana’s average hit $4.417, while the national average stood at $4.300.
It’s landing during a brief state fuel-tax break—rather than after—so the timing’s sharp. Oil prices are already on the upswing, with restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz rattling global supply; that’s the key Gulf corridor for nearly 20% of the world’s oil and LNG. On top of that, fuel supplies in the Midwest are getting squeezed after issues at the Whiting refinery.
Gas prices in Indianapolis climbed to $4.486 per gallon for regular on Thursday, according to AAA data. That’s a jump from $4.115 the previous day and $3.635 just a week ago. South Bend isn’t far behind, averaging $4.524—almost 90 cents higher than last week. Bloomington, Gary, and Fort Wayne have each crossed $4.46 as well.
Pain at the pump wasn’t spread evenly. WSBT spotted regular unleaded at $4.99—both at an Exxon in Mishawaka and a Speedway along South Bend Avenue. On South Bend’s far northwest edge, though, the lowest prices hovered near $4.09. The station heard from drivers on social media who’d paid anything from $3.59 to $4.99, with plenty of reports clustering around $4.79.
Monon and Greenwood drivers were paying $4.79 a gallon, according to reports from WIBC, as midday prices in Indianapolis hovered closer to $4.50 at several stations. In Fort Wayne, a downtown Shell posted $4.79 by 5 p.m., and other spots pushed as high as $4.99 before Wednesday was out.
The Whiting refinery outage late Sunday is turning a global supply shock into a local headache. According to WSBT, the shutdown bumped up wholesale fuel prices—the rates retailers pay before tacking on their own margins. Patrick De Haan, who heads petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said resolving the disruption might drag on for “several days, if not a week or two.” WSBT
BP isn’t the only one feeling pressure in the Midwest. Phillips 66’s Wood River plant and Marathon Petroleum’s Robinson facility, both in Illinois, have units offline for maintenance, according to Reuters. That’s tightening supply in the Great Lakes region, just as retailers get hit with steeper costs to restock.
Crude climbed again. Brent crude touched $126.41 a barrel earlier Thursday—levels last seen in March 2022—before giving up ground to $114.07 by midday in New York, according to Reuters. SEB Research’s Ole Hvalbye summed up the wild swings in prices as “a mess.” Reuters
Volatility shows up at the pump after a delay, more so when gasoline stocks are low and refineries are running near capacity. This week, PVM Oil Associates’ Tamas Varga pointed to the diplomatic impasse, which he said was keeping significant oil volumes off the market and leaving “one direction for oil prices to go.” Reuters
The pressure is evident across the Great Lakes, with AAA reporting regular gas at $4.583 in Michigan, $4.666 in Illinois, and $4.460 in Ohio as of Thursday. Those prices top Indiana’s statewide average, but not by enough to make cross-border trips worth it for drivers hunting for a deal.
Indiana’s tax break hasn’t gone away, just shrunk. The Department of Revenue confirmed Gov. Mike Braun suspended collection of the state Gas Use Tax from April 8 to May 8, but that’s the only one on hold — both the federal gas tax and Indiana’s excise tax are still being collected.
The state has tightened its scrutiny of retailers. This week saw the debut of IN Fuel Watch, a state-sponsored portal aimed at giving Hoosiers a tool to track prices and highlight how much pump prices differ from what they’d be if stations reflected the 17.2-cent tax cut in full. The site describes its figures as informational only—not concrete evidence of gouging.
But prices aren’t locked in one direction. Should Whiting’s output bounce back soon, or if crude unwinds more of Thursday’s jump, gas at the pump might actually drop within days—rather than dragging out for weeks. Prolonged refinery trouble, paired with tight shipping through Hormuz, would keep wholesale prices elevated and leave Indiana drivers footing a steeper bill.
