(The Center Square) – Still a quarter higher than a month ago, North Carolina gas prices slipped back under $3.80 this weekend and are at $3.78 for a gallon of unleaded on Monday, according to AAA.
That’s 31 cents better than the national norm of $4.09. Diesel is $5.33 a gallon, 73 cents higher than a month ago and $1.79 higher than a year ago; the national average is $5.36.
Consumer prices have been a focus of the Trump administration, and predictably, the economy and family costs are pivotal to a number of campaigns in the 2026 midterms.
The Center Square analyzes this market monthly, at a minimum, as part of its mission for reporting of government accountability, what taxpayers are spending and where, and how it translates for the businesses and communities throughout the state.
Prices have been volatile since Feb. 28 when America and Israel launched military strikes into Iran. Declarations of victory, military action being complete, of ceasefire, and of the ceasefire ending have preceded multiple ups and downs in price trends. Before the conflict, the Strait of Hormuz – Iran is on its northern coast – had about 20% of the world’s oil passing through daily.
For North Carolina, the average on Jan. 5 was a calendar year low of $2.61 a gallon for unleaded. The price was $2.75 the day before Operation Epic Fury began; was $4.21 on May 6; and $3.48 on July 8.
Diesel was $3.39 a gallon at the beginning of the year; an all-time state record high of $5.81 on April 7; $5.50 on May 6; and $4.56 on July 8.
Events coinciding with dates are second-term Republican President Donald Trump declaring a double-sided ceasefire April 7; North Carolina having a 9-cent overnight rise in gas prices on May 6; and Trump declaring the ceasefire over and strikes resuming on July 8.
Combustion engine consumers make up more than 8 million vehicle registrations in the nation’s ninth-largest state.
North Carolina’s electric vehicle charging rate average, according to AAA, is 41.3 cents per kilowatt-hour. The national average is 42.4 cents per kWh. More than 100,000 zero-emission vehicles are registered in the state. At the start of 2025, the state norm was 33.5 cents per kWh and the national was 34.7 cents per kWh.
Only 12 states have lower average prices for a gallon of unleaded; 28 are lower for diesel; and 22 plus the District of Columbia are lower in electric. California, Hawaii and Washington are each more than $6 a gallon for diesel and more than $5 a gallon for a gallon of unleaded gasoline.
Among the 14 major metro areas in North Carolina, the least expensive average for unleaded gas is in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morgan market at $3.68. The most expensive is the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area at $3.85.
Diesel is the most consumer-friendly ($5.19) in the Asheville market.
Per Environmental Protection Agency rules, June 1 was the beginning – through Sept. 15 – of the time for less volatile summer blend fuel to be sold. In general, summer fuel is considered 10 cents to 15 cents higher per gallon.
North Carolina’s 41 cents per gallon tax rate for 2026 is only eclipsed by California (61.2), Pennsylvania (57.6), Washington (55.4), Indiana (53.5), Michigan (52.4), New Jersey (49.1), Illinois (48.3) and Maryland (46.2).
Motor fuel taxes fund the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s highway and multi-modal projects, accounting for more than half of the state transportation resources. The revenues go into the Highway Fund and the Highway Trust Fund.
