- Diesel costs 37% more per gallon than regular gasoline ($4.25 vs $3.10 in 2025), and delivers 25 to 30% better fuel economy—the price premium now outweighs the efficiency gain.
- On a cost per mile basis, diesel is now more expensive to operate than gasoline in every vehicle class in our data. A diesel pickup costs roughly $146 more per year vs gasoline at 15,000 miles in 2025.
- Diesel has been priced above regular gasoline in every year of EIA data back to 1995. The premium has grown substantially over time, from about $0.26/gallon in 2000 to $1.16/gallon in 2025.
- Diesel passenger cars have disappeared from the U.S. market. Today, diesel is available only in full size pickups and SUVs.
01 Introduction
Diesel now costs more to operate than gasoline in every vehicle class checked here: it's priced 37% higher per gallon ($4.25 vs. $3.10 in 2025), which outweighs its 25 to 30% fuel-economy advantage. The diesel vs gasoline comparison is often reduced to price per gallon, but that metric alone is misleading in either direction. A gallon of diesel contains roughly 13% more energy than a gallon of gasoline, and diesel engines convert fuel to motion more efficiently. The result: diesel vehicles typically travel 25 to 30% farther on each gallon. But whether that translates into real savings depends on how large the per-gallon premium is—and in 2025, it's large enough to erase the efficiency advantage in every class we checked.
DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center: diesel contains ~137,381 BTU/gallon vs gasoline ~120,238 BTU/gallon, a 14.3% energy density advantageThis article compares diesel and gasoline on price, fuel economy, and cost per mile using 26 years of EIA price data and EPA fuel economy ratings. For the broader picture of what driving costs in America, see our overview. All figures come exclusively from U.S. government sources.
EIA Weekly Retail Gasoline and Diesel Prices (annual averages); EPA FuelEconomy.gov vehicle dataset02 Price History: Diesel vs Gasoline
Diesel has been priced above regular gasoline in every year of EIA annual data back to 1995—there is no year in this dataset where diesel was cheaper at the pump. What has changed is the size of the premium: it has grown substantially over time, from around $0.26/gallon in 2000 to $1.16/gallon in 2025.
EIA Annual Average Retail Prices: U.S. Regular Gasoline and No. 2 Diesel, 2000 to 2025| Year | Regular Gas | No. 2 Diesel | Diesel Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | $1.48 | $1.74 | +$0.26 |
| 2005 | $2.27 | $2.53 | +$0.26 |
| 2008 | $3.25 | $3.55 | +$0.30 |
| 2012 | $3.62 | $4.02 | +$0.40 |
| 2016 | $2.14 | $2.71 | +$0.56 |
| 2020 | $2.17 | $2.98 | +$0.81 |
| 2022 | $3.95 | $5.02 | +$1.07 |
| 2025 | $3.10 | $4.25 | +$1.16 |
03 Fuel Economy: Diesel vs Gasoline
Diesel engines consistently deliver better fuel economy than gasoline engines in matched vehicle classes. The advantage ranges from 25% to 30% for trucks and SUVs. EPA test data for model years 2015 through 2026 shows this pattern clearly across the classes where both fuel types are available.
EPA FuelEconomy.gov vehicle dataset, diesel and regular gasoline configurations, model years 2015 to 2026| Vehicle Class | Gas MPG | Diesel MPG | Diesel Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Pickup | 18.2 | 23.6 | +30% |
| Standard SUV | 18.5 | 23.0 | +24% |
| Midsize Sedan* | 32.0 | 40.0 | +25% |
| Compact Car* | 33.0 | 42.0 | +27% |
Estimate your vehicle's driving cost using official EPA fuel economy data.
Use the Calculator04 Cost Per Mile: The Real Comparison
The cost per mile calculation shows that in 2025, diesel's fuel economy advantage no longer compensates for its higher per gallon price. With diesel costing $1.16 more per gallon than gasoline, diesel trucks and SUVs are now more expensive to fuel per mile than their gasoline equivalents, despite their better MPG.
Cost per mile = price per gallon / combined MPG. Gas: $3.10/gal; Diesel: $4.25/gal (EIA 2025 annual averages)| Vehicle Class | Gas Cost/Mi | Diesel Cost/Mi | Diesel Extra Cost/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Pickup | $0.170 | $0.180 | +$146 |
| Standard SUV | $0.168 | $0.185 | +$258 |
| Midsize Sedan* | $0.097 | $0.106 | +$112 |
| Compact Car* | $0.094 | $0.101 | +$87 |
The SUV class shows the largest dollar penalty because it combines high fuel consumption with the smallest of the four MPG advantages (24%, versus 30% for pickups). Over 5 years at 15,000 miles per year, a diesel pickup owner now pays roughly $730 more in fuel than an equivalent gasoline truck owner, at 2025 prices.
5 year extra cost: $146/year × 5 = $730, assuming stable price differential. Actual costs vary with price fluctuations.05 Diesel in the American Fleet
Diesel passenger vehicles have always been a niche in the American market. After a brief peak in the early 1980s (when several manufacturers sold diesel variants of popular sedans), diesel’s share of new vehicle configurations fell below 1% by the late 1990s. A modest revival in the 2010s, driven by imported diesel sedans and domestic truck diesels, pushed the share back to roughly 3% by 2015.
EPA FuelEconomy.gov vehicle dataset: diesel configurations as percentage of all configurations by model yearA major emissions testing scandal in 2015, in which a manufacturer was found to have installed software that cheated on diesel emissions tests, effectively ended the diesel car segment in America. European automakers withdrew their diesel sedans and SUVs from the U.S. market. Today, diesel is available only in full-size half-ton and heavy-duty pickups and a handful of full-size body-on-frame SUVs.
EPA FuelEconomy.gov 2026 model year: diesel configurations limited to Standard Pickup Trucks and Standard Sport Utility VehiclesEstimate your vehicle's driving cost using official EPA fuel economy data.
Use the Calculator06 Data Sources
Every data point in this article comes from a U.S. government source. No proprietary, estimated, or third party data was used.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Annual average retail gasoline prices (regular grade), 2000 to 2025. Weekly Retail Gasoline and Diesel Prices survey.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Annual average retail No. 2 diesel prices, 2000 to 2025. Petroleum and Other Liquids, Retail Prices.
- EPA FuelEconomy.gov Vehicle Dataset. Diesel and regular gasoline configurations, combined MPG averages by vehicle class, model years 2015 to 2026.
- EPA FuelEconomy.gov Vehicle Dataset. All model years 1984 to 2026. Diesel configuration counts and share of total configurations.
- U.S. Department of Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center. Fuel energy content: diesel 137,381 BTU/gallon, gasoline 120,238 BTU/gallon.