Most expensive state for gas prices revealed – and there’s a $100,000 difference between the best and worst

A REPORT analyzed data from all 50 states to determine where drivers are spending the most money on gas.

The most expensive state is not the one that first popped into your head.

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Go Banking Rates (GBR), a website that aims to inform consumers about interest rates and banking products and provides information about personal finances, published a to study earlier this month to determine which state was the most expensive to refuel.

Using constants from the U.S. Department of Energy, such as the fact that drivers are between the ages of 16 and 77 on average, most cars have 13.5-gallon tanks and achieve an average of 24.4 mpg, GBR was able to determine that most cars travel 329.4 miles. before you need gas.

GBR researchers analyzed the average number of miles driven by drivers per year from data provided by the Federal Highway Administration.

After extrapolating data from a lifetime of miles driven – about 61 years – and dividing it by the number of full tanks, they were able to figure out how many fill-ups, on average, a driver would need during their lifetime.

To come up with an actual cost, researchers analyzed AAA data to determine the average cost per gallon for each state.

Taking the lifetime supply numbers and multiplying them by the average cost per gallon in 2024 allowed them to determine the most expensive state.

Which, surprisingly, wasn’t California.

Instead, the most expensive state to refuel a car in a driver’s lifetime was Wyoming.

Wyoming drivers spent an average of $201,698.22 on gas over 61 years of driving.

Drivers in the Cowboy State also spent the most on gas per year, averaging $3,306.53.

Even with the lowest population numbers of all 50 states, it turned out that the Wyomites had the most fill-ups during their lifetime, with nearly 4,500 fill-ups.

AutoBlog’s interpretation of the data surmised that Wyoming’s vastness helped explain why the state’s drivers drove the most miles in the country.

Even Alaska, the country’s largest state, had lower miles traveled per year with 7,369 miles driven compared to Wyoming’s 16,410 in 2014.

In 2019, the average miles driven per year in Wyoming was up to 24,000 miles.

California came in second, with drivers spending $167,226.71 on gasoline over their lifetime behind the wheel.

The Five Most Expensive States to Fill

GoBankingRates has determined the most expensive states to refuel over a lifetime behind the wheel. Here are the five most expensive states:

Wyoming:

• The lifetime cost of gas: US$201,698.22
• The average annual cost of gas: US$3,306.53
• The average total lifetime fills: 4,457

California:

• The lifetime cost of gas: US$167,226.71
• The average annual cost of gas: US$2,741.42
• The average total lifetime fills: 2,319

Nevada:

• The lifetime cost of gas: US$158,450.88
• The average annual cost of gas: US$2,597.56
• The average total lifetime fills: 2,596

Georgia:

• The lifetime cost of gas: US$158,176.59
• The average annual cost of gas: US$2,593.06
• The average total lifetime fills: 3,395

New Mexico:

• The lifetime cost of gas: US$156,656.37
• The average annual cost of gas: US$2,568.14
• The average total lifetime fills: 3,548

Source: GoBanking Fees

However, the average annual cost of gas was $27,41.47 with just 2,2319 lifetime supplies.

Perhaps it’s not surprising to most that Rhode Island is at the bottom of the list.

Rhode Island drivers typically spend about $90,495.69 on gasoline over their lifetime, with an average annual fuel cost of $1,483.54.

The average number of fill-ups during a driver’s lifetime was just 1,845.

Rhode Island is the smallest state in the US, with just 48 miles between the northern and southern tip of the state – which helps explain the lower numbers.

O full list of the states can be viewed on the GBR page for the study.