Auto Club: As Holiday Travelers Gear Up, Gas Prices Wind Down

Driven by plunging oil prices and lower production costs, Southern California gas prices continued dropping for a third straight week even as a near-record 4.2 million local residents get ready to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's Weekend Gas Watch. The retail statewide average is $3.67 a gallon for regular unleaded, which is six cents lower than last week.
 
The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $3.71 per gallon, which is seven cents lower than last week, 17 cents lower than last month, and 42 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the average price is $3.68, which is six cents lower than last Thursday, 16 cents lower than last month, and 41 cents higher than this time last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $3.72, which is six cents lower than week, 16 cents lower than last month, and 46 cents higher than last year. In Riverside, the average per-gallon price is $3.62, which is seven cents lower than last week, 18 cents lower than last month, and 41 cents more than this time last year.

“The price drops are happening nationwide as well as in California because oil prices have dropped dramatically – bringing prices under $2 a gallon to some stations in the South and Midwest,” said Auto Club spokesman Jeffrey Spring. “There is a wide range of prices right now locally because some gas station chains are lowering prices more aggressively than others. The Auto Club strongly recommends shopping around for the lowest gas prices using an app like AAA Mobile to ensure you don’t overpay for gas, especially if you are traveling for the holiday.”

More information on the AAA Thanksgiving forecast

The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of 9 a.m. on Nov. 15, averages are: