- Diesel was priced below regular gasoline in 7 of the 10 years from 1995 to 2004 and has been above it in every year since 2005.
- The annual diesel premium over regular gasoline reached $1.04 per gallon in 2022, and was $0.56 in 2025 ($3.66 vs $3.10, 18% more).
- The federal diesel tax is $0.244 per gallon versus $0.184 for gasoline; averaged across the 50 states, state taxes add $0.318 vs $0.297. Together the tax difference is $0.08 per gallon, a small part of the 18% price gap.
- Weekly diesel prices hit an all-time high of $5.81 per gallon in the week of June 20, 2022.
01 25-Year Price History
Diesel was cheaper than regular gasoline at the pump in 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2001 to 2004, and has been more expensive in every year since 2005. The premium reached $0.56 per gallon in 2008, fell to $0.11 in 2009, and then climbed to $1.04 in 2022. The table below shows annual average prices for selected years.
EIA, U.S. No 2 Diesel Retail Prices and U.S. Regular All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices, annual averages, 1995–2025| Year | Avg Diesel ($/gal) | Avg Gasoline ($/gal) | Diesel Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $1.11 | $1.11 | $0.00 |
| 2000 | $1.49 | $1.48 | +$0.01 |
| 2004 | $1.81 | $1.85 | −$0.04 |
| 2005 | $2.40 | $2.27 | +$0.13 |
| 2008 | $3.80 | $3.25 | +$0.56 |
| 2012 | $3.97 | $3.62 | +$0.35 |
| 2016 | $2.30 | $2.14 | +$0.16 |
| 2020 | $2.55 | $2.17 | +$0.38 |
| 2022 | $4.99 | $3.95 | +$1.04 |
| 2024 | $3.76 | $3.30 | +$0.46 |
| 2025 | $3.66 | $3.10 | +$0.56 |
Diesel has not always carried a premium at the pump. From 1995 to 2004 the two fuels were within about five cents of each other, with diesel below gasoline in seven of those ten years. Since 2005 diesel has been more expensive every year, by $0.09 to $0.13 per gallon in 2005 to 2007 and by $0.16 to $1.04 per gallon since 2010.
EIA, Petroleum & Other Liquids annual retail price series, 1995–202502 Year-by-Year Prices
For readers looking for a specific year, the table below lists the U.S. annual average retail price of diesel and regular gasoline for every year from 1995, the first full year of EIA's No. 2 diesel retail price series, through 2025, alongside the diesel premium over gasoline.
EIA, Petroleum & Other Liquids, U.S. No 2 Diesel Retail Prices (source: PET_PRI_GND_A_EPD2D) and U.S. Regular All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices, annual averages, 1995–2025. Premium is the unrounded diesel-minus-gasoline difference, rounded to the nearest cent.| Year | Avg Diesel ($/gal) | Avg Gasoline ($/gal) | Diesel Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $1.11 | $1.11 | $0.00 |
| 1996 | $1.24 | $1.20 | +$0.04 |
| 1997 | $1.20 | $1.20 | $0.00 |
| 1998 | $1.04 | $1.03 | +$0.01 |
| 1999 | $1.12 | $1.14 | −$0.01 |
| 2000 | $1.49 | $1.48 | +$0.01 |
| 2001 | $1.40 | $1.42 | −$0.02 |
| 2002 | $1.32 | $1.34 | −$0.03 |
| 2003 | $1.51 | $1.56 | −$0.05 |
| 2004 | $1.81 | $1.85 | −$0.04 |
| 2005 | $2.40 | $2.27 | +$0.13 |
| 2006 | $2.71 | $2.57 | +$0.13 |
| 2007 | $2.88 | $2.80 | +$0.09 |
| 2008 | $3.80 | $3.25 | +$0.56 |
| 2009 | $2.47 | $2.35 | +$0.11 |
| 2010 | $2.99 | $2.78 | +$0.21 |
| 2011 | $3.84 | $3.52 | +$0.32 |
| 2012 | $3.97 | $3.62 | +$0.35 |
| 2013 | $3.92 | $3.50 | +$0.42 |
| 2014 | $3.83 | $3.36 | +$0.47 |
| 2015 | $2.71 | $2.43 | +$0.28 |
| 2016 | $2.30 | $2.14 | +$0.16 |
| 2017 | $2.65 | $2.42 | +$0.23 |
| 2018 | $3.18 | $2.72 | +$0.46 |
| 2019 | $3.06 | $2.60 | +$0.45 |
| 2020 | $2.55 | $2.17 | +$0.38 |
| 2021 | $3.29 | $3.01 | +$0.28 |
| 2022 | $4.99 | $3.95 | +$1.04 |
| 2023 | $4.21 | $3.52 | +$0.70 |
| 2024 | $3.76 | $3.30 | +$0.46 |
| 2025 | $3.66 | $3.10 | +$0.56 |
03 The Diesel–Gasoline Spread
The premium has moved in swings rather than a steady climb: $0.35 per gallon in 2012, $0.47 in 2014, $0.16 in 2016 after oil prices fell, $0.45 in 2019, $1.04 in 2022, $0.46 in 2024 and $0.56 in 2025.
EIA, U.S. No 2 Diesel Retail Prices and U.S. Regular All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices, annual averages, 2012–2025For diesel vehicle owners the premium has to be weighed against fuel economy. In the EPA/DOE Fuel Economy Guide, diesel full-size pickups average 23.6 MPG combined versus 18.5 for gasoline full-size pickups (model years 2015 to 2026), a 28% advantage. At 2025 prices that is $3.66 / 23.6 = $0.155 per mile for diesel versus $3.10 / 18.5 = $0.167 for gasoline, so diesel pickups were cheaper per mile. Other classes have smaller diesel advantages; see the diesel vs gasoline fuel cost comparison.
EIA 2025 annual average prices; EPA/DOE Fuel Economy Guide (vehicles.csv), combined MPG, standard pickup trucks (2WD and 4WD), regular gasoline and diesel configurations04 Tax Differences
Part of the diesel-over-gasoline gap is structural: diesel fuel is taxed at a higher rate at both the federal and state levels. The federal excise tax on diesel is $0.244 per gallon compared to $0.184 for gasoline, a difference of $0.060 per gallon.
FHWA, Highway Taxes and Fees (hwytax.pdf): federal highway motor fuel tax rates, gasoline 18.4 cents and diesel 24.4 cents per gallon| Tax Component | Gasoline | Diesel | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal excise tax | $0.184 | $0.244 | +$0.060 |
| Average state tax | $0.297 | $0.318 | +$0.021 |
| Average combined tax | $0.481 | $0.562 | +$0.081 |
At the state level the average diesel tax is $0.021 per gallon higher than the gasoline tax. The combined federal-plus-state difference of $0.08 per gallon accounts for about 14% of the 2025 premium ($0.56).
FHWA, Table MF-121T (2024) and federal highway fuel tax rates; EIA 2025 annual average pricesEstimate your vehicle's driving cost using official EPA fuel economy data.
Use the Calculator05 Recent Trends
The national average diesel price peaked at $4.99 per gallon for the 2022 annual average, fell to $4.21 in 2023 and $3.76 in 2024, and was $3.66 in 2025, $0.56 above regular gasoline. For 2026, see why diesel prices spiked in 2026.
EIA, Petroleum & Other Liquids, U.S. No 2 Diesel Retail Prices, annual averages, 2022–2025For consumers choosing between diesel and gasoline vehicles, the per-gallon price difference is only part of the equation. Cost per mile also depends on the vehicle's fuel economy, which is why the answer differs by class in the diesel vs gasoline comparison.
This site's diesel-vs-gasoline-fuel-cost analysis (EIA prices, EPA/DOE Fuel Economy Guide)06 Data Sources
- EIA: Annual and weekly retail gasoline and diesel prices, 1994–2025. eia.gov
- FHWA: Highway Statistics Table MF-121T (state motor fuel tax rates, 2024) and Highway Taxes and Fees (federal rates). fhwa.dot.gov
- DOE/EPA: Fuel Economy Guide (fueleconomy.gov), combined MPG of diesel and gasoline pickup trucks.