Many motorists on the street at present can nonetheless bear in mind when gasoline price on common simply over $1, even when that looks as if a fantasy to youthful drivers. It could really feel unimaginable to image gasoline that low-cost, however some fortunate drivers just lately scored gasoline for a tenth of that memorable greenback.
Gasoline costs have incessantly made the information lately, however what precisely determines the worth that we pay for a gallon of gasoline, and the way high and low has it gone traditionally? The value of crude oil is a significant factor in what we pay on the pump. The method of turning crude oil into gasoline, together with the price of refining that oil, distribution and advertising prices, and taxes, all affect how a lot we pay for a gallon of gasoline. Different components, such because the variety of working refineries, provide and demand at totally different occasions of 12 months, and even the climate, play a task. In 1950, the worth of a gallon of gasoline was about $0.27. Which will sound low-cost, however based on Cash Talks Information, that is about $3.65 at present. In 2022, we hit a report common excessive of $5.02 per gallon, based on CNN Enterprise.
Fortunately, we’re not paying fairly that a lot at present, however we’re additionally not paying something close to $0.27 — except you occurred to be a fortunate driver in Worcester, Massachusetts in early December 2025 when, for a number of hours, a gasoline station slashed costs to $.10 per gallon. It wasn’t a mistake on the gasoline station’s half, so this is how these motorists managed to snag such a tremendous value.
Gasoline for lower than $1 a gallon
Think about pulling as much as fill your tank anticipating to pay about $3 per gallon and discovering it is going to solely price you 10 cents per gallon as an alternative. You would be thrilled however perhaps a tad confused. The dime-a-gallon gasoline on the Chop Chop Comfort retailer in Worcester, Massachusetts on December 4, 2025 was a promotion from a neighborhood financial institution known as UniBank that was celebrating its first anniversary. The stunt solely lasted just a few hours, and drivers had been restricted to 30 gallons, however prospects lined as much as obtain the low value. Native information station Boston 25 reported that the traces had been paying homage to the oil embargo in 1973, however prospects had been completely satisfied to attend for such cheap gas.
This is not the primary time in current historical past that motorists have snagged gasoline for lower than $1, although it is not at all times intentional. In 2022, the supervisor of a gasoline station in California, the place gasoline costs are notoriously excessive, misplaced his job after he by chance offered gasoline for $0.69 as an alternative of $6.99, a transfer that price the station $16,000. And earlier in 2025, Minnesota drivers took benefit when a BP station by chance set the worth at $0.32. It is not clear how a lot cash the station misplaced, however the value was reportedly in place for at the least an hour.
You might not be capable to get gasoline for below $1 close to you, however you do not have to depend on errors to get the very best value. Cell apps like Upside or GasBuddy provide help to save on gasoline by serving to you evaluate costs and even earn money again on gas purchases.
