There?s a gas station by the Orlando airport charging $4.50 per gallon, or more than double what regular 87 octane costs in Florida, probably because it?s close to the rental-car return. But while competition pushes these extreme prices to the fringe, drivers refueling with premium gas are seemingly gouged in every state. If you fill up with 91 or 93 octane, you?ve no doubt grumbled, ?How the hell is high-test 50 cents extra"?
That?s the average national spread of retail prices between a gallon of regular and premium gasoline, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). In all states, what was once a modest upcharge over regular?roughly 10 cents for mid-grade, another 10 cents for premium?has become an all-out surge. As gas prices tumbled over the past three years, the premium-fuel premium skyrocketed from 35 cents per gallon in 2013 to 47 cents in 2015 and reached 50 cents in late 2016. According to the latest data from AAA (which tracks fuel prices daily instead of the EIA?s weekly), premium costs $2.80 per gallon on average, or 60 cents more than regular. In 2000, the spread was 18 cents. According to the EIA, there?s no Big Oil collusion to blame. Rather, it?s a confluence of market, industry, and regulatory factors that affect everyone, not just those in luxury cars. In August 2016, premium gasoline reached a 12 percent share of all U.S. gasoline sales, a level not seen in 13 years. AAA said the demand for premium gas is due to more car owners ...