Labor Day weekend gas prices have never been higher

Labor Day weekend gas rates have never been higher. Daniel de Visé USA TODAY.

Key points

• That's nowhere near the all-time record, $5.02 a gallon in June 2022, but it's the most we've ever forked over for fuel on Labor Day weekend.
• While filling up her truck at a Phillips 66 station near Evergreen, Colorado, "It's completely out of control, " remarked Randi O'Brien, 57.
• De Haan remarked 2026 is anticipated to be the most expensive year for diesel fuel in U.S.
• American motorists are buying $4 gas on Labor Day weekend for the first time in history, a fuel analyst reports.
• A gallon of regular unleaded gas cost an average of $4.15 nationwide on Sept.

Trump notes US taking control of 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil.

Trump remarked a pact with Venezuela will allow the U.S. To control billions of barrels of oil, lowering gas costs for Americans and doubling reserves.

In practice, a gallon of regular unleaded gas cost an average of $4.15 nationwide on Sept. 6, AAA reports.

"Gasoline, while not at all-time records, is at its highest level ever recorded this late in the calendar year, " remarked GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan, writing in a recent post on X.

De Haan predicted American drivers "could for the first time ever see a national average price of gasoline above $4 per gallon on Labor Day-eclipsing the previous record of $3.83 per gallon set in 2012." Gas rates usually drop by Labor Day weekend.

When residents drive less, and rising steadily through spring and summer, when temperatures are warmer, days are longer and Americans drive more, in a normal year, gas rates follow a seasonal cycle, bottoming out in the depth of winter.

But this is not a normal year. The Iran war has driven up global oil rates for months. On top of that, Russia has lost capacity in its refineries, De Haan remarked, against the backdrop of ongoing attacks in its war with Ukraine. Together, those forces have pushed U.S. Gas rates to their highest levels on record for this time of year.

On Sept. 6 last year, a gallon of regular cost $3.20, according to AAA.

American diesel fuel rates have additionally reached a record high, and not just for Labor Day.

In practice, the national average cost of diesel hit $5.85 per gallon on Sept. 3, De Haan reports, surpassing the previous high of $5.82 a gallon in June 2022.

De Haan remarked 2026 is anticipated to be the most expensive year for diesel fuel in U.S. History. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

For now, labor Day weekend gas prices have never been higher remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.