Retail gasoline prices in California crossed the $6/gal mark for the first time since 2023 as the Strait of Hormuz closure continues to disrupt global flow of crude oil, the Southern California Automobile Club said in its Weekend Gas Watch Thursday.

AAA reported the statewide average for a gallon of self-serve gasoline in California reached $6.01/gal, surging 17cts from last week.

Wrapped up in that rate is a 61ct state excise tax, 20cts to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, another 23cts in cap-and-trade funding, an additional 10cts for state and local taxes, 2cts going to the state underground storage tax, along with 18cts allocated to the federal excise tax for a total of $1.34/gal in taxes and fees, according to February data released last week by the Western States Petroleum Association.

During that time, the national average soared 27cts higher over the week at $4.30/gal.

Retailers in the Los Angeles - Long Beach area and on the Central Coast propped gasoline prices up 16cts from the prior week at $6.10/gal and $5.91/gal, respectively.

An 18ct-uptick was reported in San Diego gasoline prices over the week at roughly $6.06/gal.

Riverside rates firmed by about 15cts on the week at $5.93/gal.

Drivers in Bakersfield forked out an additional 7cts from the previous week's figures, paying roughly $5.91/gal. West Coast states held the lead for highest gasoline prices again this week, with California remaining at the forefront.

Hawaii trailed behind at $5.64/gal, cooling 1ct from the previous week.

Gasoline prices in Washington followed at $5.57/gal, up sharply by 18cts from last week.

Oregon tracked closely behind with 16ct gains over the week at $5.15/gal Motorists in Nevada saw gasoline prices tack on 17cts at $5.13/gal.

Alaska's gasoline prices followed suit and jumped 25cts over the week at $4.92/gal.

The cheapest gasoline prices on the West Coast last week were seen in Arizona at $4.67/gal, largely unchanged from rates reported in prior week.

"California's gasoline supply is significantly affected by the Strait of Hormuz closure," said Auto Club spokesperson Kandace Redd. "According to the California Energy Commission, in 2025 the state relied upon Middle East countries for 29 percent of the oil it used in the state's refineries to produce gasoline. Additionally, the gasoline that California imports from refineries in other countries is also heavily reliant on oil from the Middle East."

This content was created by Oil Price Information Service, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. OPIS is run independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

Reporting by Sydnee Novak, sbeach@opisnet.com; Editing by Bayan Raji, braji@opisnet.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 30, 2026 15:48 ET (19:48 GMT)

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