Colorado's average gas price falls for first time in six weeks

Denver, March 26 - Colorado's streak of consecutive gas price increases has come to an end. According to AAA's fuel gauge report (www.fuelgaugereport.com), today, on average, Coloradans are paying $3.17 for a gallon of regular unleaded, which is 1 cent less than last week. It's the first time in six weeks that Colorado's average price for regular unleaded has fallen compared to the previous week. It's the sixth consecutive week the average price has been above $3 per gallon.

Despite this week's decrease in the average price for regular unleaded in Colorado, the average price is still historically high. The average price for regular unleaded in Colorado is 17 cents shy of the all-time Colorado record price of $3.34 set May 24, 2007.

Colorado remains among the states with the lowest average in America. Colorado has the fourteenth cheapest average price for regular unleaded in the nation, which is higher than last week when Colorado had the eleventh lowest average price.

New Jersey has the cheapest average price in the nation at $3.05 per gallon. Hawaii has the most expensive average price at $3.64, followed by California at $3.62.

According to AAA's gasoline cost calculator tool (www.fuelcostcalculator.com), a round trip between Denver and Colorado Springs in a typical mid-size car, using regular unleaded, will cost $13.74, the same as last week.

Historical perspective

Prices for regular unleaded are much higher than in the past. Compared to last year, Coloradans on average are paying 59 cents more per gallon. A year ago the average price of regular unleaded was $2.58 per gallon in Colorado. The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded in Colorado is 12 cents more than one month ago.

Colorado diesel update

The average price of a gallon of diesel has set another new all-time record high this past Saturday, (May 22) at $3.955. Since then, the average price of a gallon of diesel in Colorado has regressed a few tenths of a cent to $3.948. It's the sixth consecutive week that the average price of a gallon of diesel in Colorado has risen compared to the previous week. Colorado motorists are paying $1.12 more per gallon for diesel than a year ago.

Three Colorado cities surveyed by AAA have surpassed $4 per gallon on average for diesel. (Glenwood Springs $4.18, Grand Junction $4.02, Vail $4.26).

Cheapest and most expensive cities for gasoline in Colorado

Colorado Springs and Pueblo have the least expensive average gas prices compared to other cities in Colorado, with regular unleaded gasoline at $3.10 per gallon, followed by Greeley at $3.11 per gallon.

Vail has the most expensive average gas price for Colorado cities surveyed by AAA, with an average of $3.46 per gallon, followed by Glenwood Springs at $3.43 per gallon.

Every city in Colorado surveyed by AAA has an average gas prices above $3 per gallon for the fifth consecutive week.

Click here for average state and metro area prices.

National gasoline price update

For the first time in six weeks, the national average price of regular unleaded has fallen compared to the previous week. Today, the national average price of regular unleaded is $3.26, which is almost 2 cents less than last week and 67 cents higher than a year ago. It's the sixth consecutive week the national average price of regular unleaded is above $3 per gallon. For twenty-two consecutive weeks the national average for regular unleaded has been above the Colorado average. The national average price of regular unleaded is 12 cents more than a month ago.

National E85 price

AAA has recently added the average national price of E85 to its automotive fuel price website, web page www.fuelgaugereport.com. Today the average national price of E85 is $2.67 per gallon. The BTU-adjusted national average price is $3.51 per gallon. The BTU-adjusted price calculates the cost of E85 on a gasoline equivalent basis; AAA reports this price because E85 contains roughly 25 percent less energy content per gallon than an equal amount of gasoline, a fact that is often overlooked in comparing the cost of the two fuels. E85 price reporting is derived from a database of approximately 1,200 stations selling E85 nationwide, but has not yet reached a level of consistency that allows AAA to report state and local average prices at this time.

AAA offers an Internet fuel price finder that can be used to locate the least expensive gas in any area and a fuel cost calculator tool to determine the gasoline costs for a road trip. Those tools can be found at www.aaa.com/gasprices.

AAA's Fuel Gauge Report is based upon data from Oil Price Information Service (OPIS), the nation's most comprehensive source of petroleum pricing information. AAA purchases the data and makes it available for free on the Internet at www.fuelgaugereport.com as a public service. Average daily prices for the nation, all 50 states and more than 250 localities are available for all grades of gasoline, making the site the most current and complete public source of fuel price information.

Note to Colorado Media:

As the nation's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides nearly 51 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at www.aaa.com.