Gas Prices Ease but Stay $1.11 Above Last Year
Fleet and delivery operators should check fuel budgets, since diesel averages $6.28 nationally and unleaded sits well above year-earlier levels.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Inflation
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The national average price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline fell to $4.14 on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, down 12 cents from a week earlier and 24 cents from a month earlier. Diesel averaged $6.28 a gallon, down 7 cents on the week, a pattern that matters for any business running a fleet or delivery operation.
Why it matters
The weekly and monthly declines mean fuel is a smaller cost drag than it was a month ago, but unleaded prices remain $1.11 above where they stood a year earlier, so budgets built on last year's fuel line still need adjusting. Diesel, the heavier cost for trucking and delivery, is still running well above gasoline.
National unleaded gasoline averaged $4.14 a gallon, down 12 cents from a week earlier and 24 cents from a month earlier, but up $1.11 from $3.03 a year ago. Diesel averaged $6.28 a gallon nationally, down 7 cents on the week, while Kansas unleaded averaged $3.87, down 7 cents from the prior week.
The players
AAA
AAA is a national motor club and travel services organization whose fuel price data is widely used as a benchmark for retail gasoline and diesel averages.
GasBuddy.com
GasBuddy.com is a fuel price tracking platform that aggregates station-level retail gasoline and diesel prices across the United States.
The details
Retail fuel averages are compiled from AAA data and reported as national and state figures, which is the basis for the comparisons in this report. GasBuddy.com tracks prices separately and reported a unleaded range of $3.58 to $3.99 a gallon and a diesel range of $5.79 to $6.39 a gallon on the same day. For operators, the gap between the AAA averages and the GasBuddy ranges means local pump prices can vary widely from the headline figure, so fuel budgets should be checked against actual local purchase data rather than a single national number.
Timeline
November 3, 2026: national and Kansas fuel averages reported, on Election Day.
October 27, 2026: the one-week comparison baseline.
October 3, 2026: the one-month comparison baseline.
November 3, 2025: the one-year comparison baseline.
Market Landscape
The national unleaded average stands $1.11 above its level a year earlier, according to the AAA-compiled series that retail fuel reporting relies on. The two-week-plus run of declines has brought prices down from $4.38 a month ago, though the gap to last year's $3.03 shows the year-over-year increase has not yet reversed.
Fleet operators and businesses with delivery vehicles should compare current diesel costs of $6.28 nationally against their budget assumptions, since diesel remains the heavier expense. Businesses should also review fuel line items against year-earlier figures, because unleaded is still about $1.11 higher than a year ago.
The takeaway
Fuel costs are falling week over week but remain well above last year, so operators should avoid treating the current dip as a lasting reset. Track weekly AAA averages against your own purchase records, and have your accountant review how fuel expenses are projected in your next budget cycle.
Further reading
For broader context on how energy costs feed into overall price levels, see Inflation coverage across the economy.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Wibw.
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