The average price of regular gasoline in the United States fell below $4 a gallon on Tuesday for the first time since July, offering drivers some relief after months of elevated fuel costs, according to data from AAA.
The national average stood at $3.9788 a gallon on Tuesday, AAA said — the first time in 114 days that it had dropped below the $4 mark. Prices are down about 17 cents from a week ago and nearly 39 cents from a month ago, when the average was about $4.37. A year ago, the national average was about $3.07 a gallon.
The decline follows a sharp retreat in crude oil prices. Brent crude, the global benchmark, briefly fell below $90 a barrel on Tuesday morning for the first time since August, as traders grew more hopeful of a diplomatic resolution to the conflict in the Middle East after President Trump signaled he was not planning to strike Iran anytime soon. Analysts also pointed to weaker seasonal demand and the switch to cheaper winter-blend gasoline.
Twenty-six states already had averages below $4, with North Carolina the lowest at $3.26 a gallon, according to AAA. GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan said prices could fall further, to around $3.70 a gallon by Thanksgiving, and that sub-$3 prices were already appearing at stations in Indiana, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.
Diesel, used by heavy trucks and farm equipment, remained stubbornly high at about $6.16 a gallon. And the relief at the pump comes even as other household costs keep rising: the Bureau of Labor Statistics said energy prices rose 0.7% in October, though the gasoline index increased just 1% after a 9.1% surge in September. AAA has found that $4 a gallon is a tipping point for many drivers — in a 2022 survey, 59% of respondents said they would change their driving habits if gas reached that level.
