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Gas Prices Back Down Slightly As Holiday Travelers Get Ready

fall leaves on vintage car
Photo by Roland Tanglao https://www.flickr.com/photos/roland   http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0/

Drivers preparing to get away for the Thanksgiving holiday likely will see some easing of gas prices in coming days but still will pay more to fill up than any Thanksgiving season since 2013, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's Weekend Gas Watch. The retail statewide average is $3.23 a gallon for regular unleaded, unchanged from a week ago.
 
The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $3.29 per gallon, which is two cents less than last week, 23 cents higher than last month, and 47 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the average price is $3.26, two cents lower than a week ago, 22 cents more than last month, and 44 cents more than this time last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $3.27, which is a penny higher than last week, 22 cents higher than last month, and 47 cents higher than last year. In the Inland Empire, the average per-gallon price is $3.23, which is one cent lower than last week, 22 cents more than last month, and 45 cents more than at this time last year.

“While higher gas prices will take a bigger chunk out of Thanksgiving travelers’ budgets this year, the Auto Club is still expecting a 3.6 percent increase in the number of travelers compared to 2016,” said Auto Club spokesman Jeffrey Spring. “Most travelers had already made their plans before the recent gas price spike. Wholesale Los Angeles gasoline prices have now completely recovered from the early November price increase, so we expect more gas stations to start charging less than $3 a gallon in coming weeks.”

The Auto Club recommends that Thanksgiving travelers download the free AAA Mobile app to virtually shop around for the lowest gas price near them while planning their trips.

The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of 9 a.m. on Nov. 16, averages are:

Area

Regular

1-week change

Record Price

Los Angeles – Long Beach

$3.29

 -2 cents

 $4.70 (10/9/12)

 

 

 

 

Orange County

$3.24

 -3 cents

 $4.69 (10/8/12)

 

 

 

 

San Diego

$3.26

 -2 cents

 $4.72 (10/8/12)

 

 

 

 

Santa Barbara – Santa Maria –Lompoc

$3.27

 +1 cent

 $4.70 (6/21/08)

 

Riverside/San Bernardino

$3.23

 -1 cent

 $4.68 (10/8/12)

 

 

 

 

Ventura

$3.25

 -1 cent

 $4.68 (10/7/12)

 

 

 

 

Bakersfield

$3.20

 No change

 $4.64 (10/9/12)

Media Contacts

Marie Montgomery
(714) 420-0477 (cell)
Montgomery.Marie@aaa-calif.com
Doug Shupe
LA-based media contact
(512) 659-1632
shupe.doug@aaa-calif.com
CST 1016202-80 Copyright © Automobile Club of Southern California. All Rights Reserved.
The Automobile Club of Southern California is a member club affiliated with the American Automobile Association (AAA) national federation and serves members in the following California counties: Inyo, Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, and Ventura.