A sign of the times, and not a good one: $8.05 for a gallon of regular at an L.A. station (2025)

Marvis Joy thought it was bad enough that the gas he was pumping into his Jeep Wrangler cost $7.85 for a gallon of regular. But he was taken aback when he heard how much that same gallon cost at that same downtown Los Angeles Chevron station just two days earlier.

An eye-popping $8.05.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Joy said Thursday morning, noting that you’d never see such an outrage in his hometown of St. Louis.

A sign of the times, and not a good one: $8.05 for a gallon of regular at an L.A. station (1)

Advertisement for above $8 a gallon at Chevron gas station on Cesar E. Chavez Ave., at the intersection of Alameda Street in downtown Los Angeles.

“People get upset with prices in St. Louis when they get over $4,” he said. And he left the gas station with a message: “These prices need to go down, that’s all I’m saying.”

The gas station at Alameda Street and East Cesar Chavez Avenue is infamous for its sky-high prices. But it’s also a sign of the times, of gas prices that have been steadily rising yet again.

The average price for a gallon of regular gas in California Thursday was $6.213, according to the American Automobile Assn. The price in Los Angeles County was $6.221. Compare that to June 2021, when the average price in California was $4.204, and in L.A. County, $4.07 — a staggering difference.

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Rural California is being hit even harder than Los Angeles. As of Thursday, Mono County’s average is $7.054, almost a full dollar more than the state average.

Nationwide, a gallon of regular on average cost $4.715 Thursday, up from $3.041 a year earlier.

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There are many reasons why California has higher average gas prices, from more stringent clean energy regulations to inflation and other factors. Russia’s war against Ukraine has caused the international market to terminate relationships with Russian oil companies, shrinking the global supply.

Douglas Shupe, Southern California representative for AAA, said the state of gas prices throughout the rest of the summer is unpredictable, and entirely dependent on Russia’s war with Ukraine.

He said he understands people’s surprise when they spied the Chevron station earlier this week. He got out of his car to take a picture of the $8.05 sign.

Though the prices at the station dropped back down to $7.85 per gallon by Wednesday morning, the climb to $8.05 was alarming to many L.A. residents. Chevron workers there declined to comment.

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The majority of those who drove into the gas station midday Wednesday merely stopped for a soda, some cigarettes or a bag of chips, then made their way back onto the road. Only a handful of customers seemed unfazed enough by the rising prices to stop and fill up at the pump.

One of them, Los Angeles resident and L.A. Metro employee Suresh Narola, said he filled up his Chevy there out of necessity, not desire.

“This is the most expensive place in the city. I only fill up my tank here when it’s an emergency,” he said. “I work right around here, so sometimes it’s convenient.”

Shupe said that, with a quick search, he found multiple gas stations in the L.A. area well below the county average. He urges other customers to do the same.

“Our message to our customers is to not go to these gas stations with incredibly high prices out of habit, and to try to shop around for the cheapest gas,” he said.

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He said the $8.05 price is not terribly surprising for this specific gas station; people in the area say it is notorious for its prices, even prior to the pandemic.

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Many customers at the station Wednesday were visiting Los Angeles. There was the government worker from the Bay Area who wasn’t worried about prices because his employer was picking up the tab; one woman from Lebanon said she endured far higher prices in her home country; one Canadian man on vacation pointed out that the price of cheap gas is a factor in the growing issue of climate change.

Relief will probably not arrive before summer’s end. In March, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed an $11-billion relief package, which would include $400 per vehicle for registered vehicle owners, as well as public transit grants that would provide free rides to residents for three months.

Yet California lawmakers are still debating the terms of this relief package, and Newsom’s proposal has yet to be approved. And as multiple deadlines come and go, it seems a lengthy process is still in the works.

Antonio Taylor, who filled his Dodge at the station on Thursday morning, said he’s not waiting for the government. He is planning on getting a Tesla.

“These prices aren’t letting up anytime soon, honestly, so I’m hoping I won’t have to be doing this much longer,” he said.

What will not change, according to Shupe, is the demand for gas throughout the summer. He does not believe the rising gas prices will change California residents’ desire for road trips or travel already pushed back by the pandemic.

“Just this weekend for Memorial Day we saw a 5% increase in auto travel,” Shupe said.

Prices are not letting up. Neither, it seems, are Los Angeles consumers.

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A sign of the times, and not a good one: $8.05 for a gallon of regular at an L.A. station (2025)

FAQs

What does 9 10 mean on a gas station? ›

Back then, when gas prices hadn't even reached a full dollar per gallon, a one-cent tax would have been substantial — roughly 10% of the total cost of gasoline. Gas stations didn't want to lose business by raising their prices that much. Instead, they increased the price on every gallon by 9/10 of a cent.

What is the cost of 1 gallon of gas? ›

Today's average price of gas in the U.S. is $3.44 per gallon, unchanged from yesterday, down $0.01 from last week and down $0.08 from last month.

Why do gas prices differ from station to station? ›

In areas with fewer gasoline buying options, scarcity may lead to higher prices at the pump. Location: Most consumers buy from their local gas stations, so some retailers strategically price their gasoline for certain areas. It's one of the reasons why you can find varying gasoline prices across the same city!

What was the highest gas price in LA? ›

The highest recorded average price in LA was $6.49 in October 2022," KFI AM 640 reporter Kris Adler posted on X. As of Tuesday, the average price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline in LA County was $6.14.

Why is gas only 9 10 of a gallon? ›

Back in the 1930s, when gas was just 10 cents a gallon, adding a penny would seem like a huge increase by 10%, so they went with less than a cent. Starting mid-century, it became the norm for gas stations to end prices in 9/10ths of a cent, and it's been that way ever since.

What is the 10 code for gas? ›

ICD-10 code: R14 Flatulence and related conditions.

Has gas ever been $8 dollars a gallon? ›

A gas expert shared an experience on social media that had some Americans grateful for U.S. gas prices for a change. Many American drivers have experienced the headache that comes with higher gas prices as inflation grips the nation and the price for a barrel of crude oil continues to climb.

How much will gas cost in 2024? ›

U.S. Regional Gasoline Prices as of July 23, 2024

Prices on the west coast continue to slowly move to the $4 line. The national average price of gasoline is down ever so slightly, at $3.47 per gallon, according to EIA data. The 2-cent drop on the national average comes despite one region seeing a 5-cent increase.

Where is the cheapest gas in the US? ›

September 2023 Gasoline Price Updates
  • Mississippi has the cheapest gasoline prices in the U.S., where the average cost is $3.29 per gallon. ...
  • Louisiana has the second-cheapest gas, with the average cost hitting $3.36 per gallon.
  • Coming in third place is Texas, with gas prices at $3.38 per gallon.
Sep 11, 2023

Do some gas stations have better gas than others? ›

Top-tier gasoline from name-brand stations like Shell or Mobil will have an accurate octane rating that you can trust is labeled correctly. However, small independent stations may not have the most meticulous standards for octane ratings, and you run the risk of getting a lower octane than you are paying for.

Is gas the same at every station? ›

All regular grade gasolines in any given area use the same base fuel, as do all premium grade gasolines. The only differences between fuel brands is the "secret sauce" of additives that are blended with the base fuel.

Why is Exxon gas so expensive? ›

Crude oil is by far the largest factor in the price of a gallon of gasoline. U.S. production of crude oil alone is not always the most reliable and efficient way of meeting U.S. demand, therefore oil companies like ExxonMobil have to purchase crude oil – at market prices – to produce gasoline and other products.

How much is gas in Canada? ›

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Fuel TypeOntarioSouthern Ontario
Regular Unleaded Gasoline160.4160
Mid-Grade Gasoline180.7180.4
Premium Gasoline189.6189.3
Diesel156.4155.4
2 more rows

Where in California is gas $10 a gallon? ›

A gas station in Mendocino, Northern California, is now charging nearly $10 a gallon.

What state has the highest gas tax? ›

Why it matters: California has the highest state excise tax on gasoline in the country, and the highest price of gas. Zoom in: The average cost of regular gas is $4.79 per gallon in California, and $4.83 in San Diego County, as of July 3, according to AAA. That's compared to $3.51 nationally.

What is the 9 10 next to the gas price? ›

The practice of tacking 9/10 of a cent on the end of a gas price goes back to when gas cost only pennies per gallon and was a tax imposed by state and federal governments. Gas stations added the fraction of a cent on the end of the price instead of rounding up the price.

What does 9/10 of a cent mean? ›

The 9/10 means 0.9 cents (nine-tenths of a cent). In the example provided, the price of gas is $2.899 per gallon. I heard that this was originally done for the same reason stores sell products for $9.99 instead of $10 - $9.99 sounds less expensive (it is, but a penny difference isn't a big deal to most people).

What does gas mark 9 mean? ›

Generally, a warm oven refers to Gas mark 3; a moderate oven, gas mark 4; a fairly hot oven, gas marks 5 - 6; a hot oven, gas mark 7; and a very hot oven is gas marks 8 - 9. (

Why do gas prices have 9-10 reddit? ›

It is a leftover artifact. Gas was hit with a tax in "mils" or tenths of a cent early on. Old mechanical pumps were fitted with counters that could easily compute the extra 3/10th cent or so of tax on fuel.

References

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