(The Center Square) – Sunday’s average price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline in North Carolina was down to $2.73, one penny higher than in March 2010.
AAA defines the 13-day holiday travel season as starting Saturday and ending Jan. 1. The federation of motor clubs known for roadside assistance, travel planning, and insurance predicts nearly 3.7 million North Carolinians will be among 122.4 million Americans going at least 50 miles from home this year.
The state’s average price for gas is more than a quarter below the national $2.90.
The statewide average is 3 cents less than a week ago, 11 cents lower than a month earlier and 14 cents better than this time last year. Diesel is averaging $3.45, a 6 cents increase from a year ago and slight decrease from a week (4 cents) and month (8 cents) earlier.
Per Environmental Protection Agency rules in place from June 1 to Sept. 15, the time for less volatile summer blend fuel to be sold has ended. In general, summer fuel is considered 10 cents to 15 cents higher per gallon.
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 35.6 cents per kilowatt-hour. The national average is 38.5 cents per kWh. More than 100,000 zero-emission vehicles are registered in the state. At the start of the calendar year, the state norm was 33.5 cents per kWh and the national was 34.7 cents per kWh.
Twenty states have lower average prices for a gallon of unleaded; 19 are lower for diesel; and 14 are lower in electric.
Among the 14 major metro areas, the least expensive average for unleaded gas is in Goldsboro at $2.57. The most expensive area is the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area at $2.86.
Diesel is the most consumer-friendly ($3.35) in the both the Jacksonville and Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton markets.
North Carolina’s 40.3 cents per gallon tax rate for 2025 is topped by California (59.6), Pennsylvania (57.6), Washington (49.4), Illinois (47), Maryland (46.1), and New Jersey (44.9).
Motor fuel taxes in the state fund the 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.
