UPDATE: Washington, April 8, 2026, 11:12 (EDT)
AAA reports the national average is still holding above $4 a gallon for the first time since August 2022. California drivers are seeing regular gas nearly 78 cents pricier than a month back, and diesel there just hit a record—$7.746 a gallon.
U.S. gasoline stocks dropped by 1.6 million barrels last week, according to the latest EIA report out Wednesday, with refinery utilization easing to 92%. That combination may keep prices at the pump elevated, despite crude pulling back.
After the ceasefire, Brent slid as far as $90.40 a barrel. Yet Reuters noted that some 130 million barrels of crude and 46 million barrels of refined fuels remain tied up on close to 200 tankers clustered by the Strait of Hormuz. It’s a backlog that points to a slow easing of pressure for high-priced markets like Mono County.
WASHINGTON, April 8, 2026, 07:04 (EDT)
U.S. gasoline stayed stubbornly above the $4 mark on Wednesday, even after oil tumbled on news of a two-week truce between Washington and Tehran. Hopes for a fast break at the pump faded. AAA pegged the national average for regular at $4.164, with California drivers still staring at $5.934 per gallon. Brent crude dipped below $100 after Iran announced plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Americans are now most anxious about fuel prices when it comes to the war, a fresh Pew Research Center survey shows. Out of 3,507 U.S. adults surveyed, 69% pointed to gas and fuel costs as their primary worry—more than any other option on the list. For 45% of respondents, the level of concern hit “extremely.” Pew Research Center
Mono County—tucked up near Yosemite, right on the Nevada line—has it roughest right now: AAA clocked the average gas price at $6.72 on Monday. Connie Lear, a June Lake resident, points out that the town’s only gas station is asking closer to $7.50 a gallon. She’s also seen bookings fall off, with visitors now staying just four or five days instead of the whole week.
Remote markets? They’re hit fast when things tighten up. In Mono County, just getting fuel delivered means hauling it more than 200 miles from the closest wholesale terminal. Stations out here can’t tap into the volume deals or fierce price wars that benefit their urban counterparts, so those local pumps aren’t seeing much in the way of discounts. Tom Kloza, an independent industry tracker and Gulf Oil adviser, says the “sweet spot” is 200,000 gallons a month. If you’re running below that, the squeeze gets real, and quick. KOAT
Some costs in California are simply unavoidable. The California Energy Commission points out that, without fuel pipelines, fuel shipments into the state can take up to three weeks to arrive. When crude prices jump or refineries run into trouble, gasoline prices at California pumps feel the impact more acutely than in other states. The agency also flagged Valero’s Benicia refinery, which is on track to cease refining by the end of April—leaving just seven major plants producing gasoline that fits California’s requirements.
Americans aren’t parking their cars, but they’re watching what they spend at gas stations. According to NPR, U.S. drivers have actually been logging more miles since the war began—even as experts urge easing off the gas, carrying less weight, and slowing down. Fuel economy seems to peak around 50 mph, both AAA and Consumer Reports say. And premium? Most drivers can skip it, says Consumer Reports deputy auto editor Jonathan Linkov: “All cars, except the most esoteric supercars or older cars, can run fine on regular.” CapRadio
Online searches for electric vehicles have climbed, but so far, that hasn’t pushed up sales. CarGurus logged a 31% increase in EV listing views compared with March. Edmunds and CarMax also reported more EV-related traffic, according to an NPR piece from Georgia Public Broadcasting. “What consumers are viewing on the site tends to be an earlier indicator than sales,” CarGurus’ Kevin Roberts, who leads economic and market intelligence, told the outlet. Georgia Public Broadcasting
Falling crude doesn’t guarantee a quick drop at the pump—drivers hoping for relief may have to wait. The U.S. Energy Information Administration on Tuesday put this month’s average gasoline price at $4.30 a gallon, cautioning that higher prices may stick around for months, even if Hormuz reopens. Restarting flows and ramping up production aren’t immediate fixes, the agency noted. About 20% of global oil and gas moves through that narrow strait.
For now, some relief has landed. Oil prices fell sharply, down 13% to 15% after news of the ceasefire. Patrick De Haan at GasBuddy says U.S. drivers could notice lower prices at the pump, maybe within two days—just a few cents off, but quickly. The ceasefire, though, is only a temporary fix; any hiccup in shipping or refining could stop that drop just as fast.
