(The Center Square) – More than 30 cents separates one form of transportation energy price for individual consumers in North Carolina from the nation on average.
October arrived Wednesday and with it a statewide average of $2.84 per gallon of unleaded gasoline. That’s about 2 cents less than a month ago, 7 cents less than a year ago, and for the day is significantly less than the national average of $3.16, the American Automobile Association says.
Diesel fuel is $3.52 per gallon, up 6 cents from a week ago and up 5 cents from a year ago. The national average is $3.70, up 13 cents from a year ago.
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. Some of the recent drop is explained because of that law. 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 32.7 cents per kilowatt-hour. The national average is 36.6 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.
Twelve states have lower average prices for a gallon of unleaded; 16 are lower for diesel; and six are lower in electric.
Among the 14 major metro areas, the least expensive average for unleaded gas is in Fayetteville at $2.73. The most expensive area is the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area at $2.92.
Diesel is the most consumer-friendly ($3.38) in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton market.
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.
