LOS ANGELES, CA — California drivers are facing another sharp increase at the pump, with regular gasoline prices approaching $6 a gallon in Los Angeles and Orange counties while diesel prices have reached the maximum display price at several stations across the state.
Six California gas stations have reported diesel prices of $9.999 per gallon, according to GasBuddy petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan. The price is the highest amount that can be displayed on some fuel dispensers, creating an unusual situation as diesel costs continue to climb.
The stations were not individually identified in the information released by GasBuddy, but the locations were described as being in Santa Clara, Serra Mesa, San Jose and Paso Robles.
Meanwhile, the AAA Fuel Prices data show just how quickly California’s statewide average has been moving. By Sept. 12, California’s average diesel price had reached $8.0956 per gallon, a record high in AAA’s tracking data, while regular gasoline averaged $5.9732.
Los Angeles gas prices approach $6
The increase is particularly noticeable in Southern California.
According to the figures provided for Thursday, the average price of regular gasoline in Los Angeles County reached $5.944 per gallon, marking the county’s 23rd consecutive daily increase.
The average had risen 30.2 cents during those 23 days and was $1.264 higher than it was at the same point a year earlier.
The increase has been even larger when measured from late February. Since Feb. 28, the Los Angeles County average had climbed by approximately $1.25 per gallon.
That means filling a typical passenger vehicle has become substantially more expensive in a matter of months, adding another cost pressure for commuters and households that rely on gasoline for daily transportation.
Orange County follows a similar pattern
Orange County was seeing nearly identical prices.
The average price for regular gasoline there reached $5.923 per gallon, according to the figures provided for Thursday.
That represented the county’s 23rd consecutive day of increases. The average had climbed 34.8 cents over that period and was $1.263 higher than one year earlier.
The two neighboring counties therefore remained just a few cents apart, with both approaching the $6-per-gallon threshold for regular gasoline.
AAA’s subsequent data showed the Orange County average continuing upward. On Sept. 12, AAA listed regular gasoline at $5.9989 per gallon in the county, with diesel at $8.0087.
Diesel prices are the bigger concern
While gasoline prices are putting pressure on consumers, diesel has been moving even more sharply.
AAA’s California figures show the statewide diesel average reaching $8.0956 per gallon by Sept. 12, up from $7.7770 one week earlier and $6.8692 one month earlier. The one-year comparison was even more pronounced, with the average at $5.1602 a year earlier.
By Sept. 13, AAA’s statewide diesel average had climbed again to $8.1367 per gallon, setting a new high in its tracking data.
The six stations reporting $9.999 diesel prices were therefore selling fuel at levels substantially above the statewide average.
The $9.999 figure is also significant because many traditional fuel-price displays use four digits for the price. A price of $10 or more cannot be displayed in the same format, making $9.999 effectively the ceiling on those particular dispensers.
Why diesel matters beyond the pump
Diesel prices have an impact beyond drivers of diesel-powered passenger vehicles.
Diesel fuels much of the nation’s freight transportation, along with agricultural machinery, construction equipment and other commercial operations. When the cost of moving goods rises, transportation expenses can eventually affect businesses and consumers who do not purchase diesel directly.
GasBuddy’s Patrick De Haan described diesel as the fuel that moves much of the economy, noting that higher diesel costs can work through supply chains and increase expenses associated with groceries, household products, deliveries and other goods.
The national diesel average had also moved sharply higher, according to the figures provided by GasBuddy.
National gasoline average continues climbing
Gasoline prices were rising nationwide as well.
The national average for regular gasoline reached $4.277 per gallon, an increase of 5.3 cents in one day. It represented the 10th increase in 11 days.
The national average was 13.4 cents higher than one week earlier, 26.8 cents higher than one month earlier and $1.084 above the level recorded one year ago.
AAA’s national average subsequently moved higher as well. Its Sept. 12 data put the national regular gasoline average at $4.3104 per gallon, compared with California’s $5.9732 average.
That difference illustrates the unusually high fuel costs California motorists are facing compared with the country as a whole.
California remains well above the national average
The gap between California and the national average is especially pronounced for diesel.
AAA’s Sept. 12 figures showed California diesel averaging $8.0956 per gallon compared with the national average of $5.9773. California regular gasoline averaged $5.9732, compared with the national average of $4.3104.
California’s fuel market is therefore experiencing significantly higher prices across both major road fuels, with diesel showing the most dramatic increase.
The state’s tax system is one part of the overall cost structure. The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration administers state fuel taxes, while pump prices also reflect wholesale fuel costs, transportation, refining and retail-market conditions.
Those components do not, by themselves, explain the day-to-day movement at individual stations, but they form part of the broader price motorists ultimately see at the pump.
What drivers are facing
For California motorists, the most immediate issue is that the increases have not been isolated to a single day.
Los Angeles and Orange counties had already recorded 23 consecutive daily increases in regular gasoline prices in the figures provided for Thursday. The national average had also risen repeatedly, while California’s diesel average continued setting new highs in the days that followed.
At the extreme end of the market, six California stations reached $9.999 per gallon for diesel — the highest price their dispensers could display.
The figures do not mean that every California station is charging anywhere near $10 for diesel. AAA’s statewide average was just over $8 per gallon by Sept. 12, and individual station prices can vary considerably depending on location and market conditions.
But the record-level averages and the isolated $9.999 prices show the scale of the current increase.
For drivers and businesses, the biggest concern is whether the rapid climb will continue and how long prices will remain elevated. The available figures show that, at least through the period covered by this report, both gasoline and diesel were continuing to move higher rather than stabilizing.
