- Diesel cost 18% more per gallon than regular gasoline in 2025 ($3.66 vs $3.10), and delivers 6% to 28% better fuel economy depending on vehicle class.
- Per mile, the answer depends on the class. A diesel full-size pickup costs about $186 less per year to fuel than a gasoline one at 15,000 miles in 2025; a diesel full-size SUV costs $44 more, a midsize sedan $141 more (12,000 miles), and a compact car is about even.
- Diesel was priced below regular gasoline in 7 of the 10 years from 1995 to 2004 and has been above it every year since 2005. The annual premium peaked at $1.04/gallon in 2022 and was $0.56 in 2025.
- In model year 2026, all 18 diesel configurations in the EPA data are standard pickups (10) or standard SUVs (8); no diesel car appears after model year 2019.
01 Introduction
Whether diesel costs less to run than gasoline depends on the vehicle. In 2025 diesel was 18% more per gallon ($3.66 vs. $3.10), and diesel vehicles in the EPA data travel 6% to 28% farther on each gallon, depending on class. A gallon of diesel also contains 11% to 15% more energy than a gallon of gasoline. Diesel comes out ahead per mile only where its fuel-economy advantage exceeds its price premium, which in 2025 was true for full-size pickups and not for the other classes checked.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Transportation Energy Data Book, Edition 40, Table B.4 (gross heat content): low-sulfur diesel 138,700 Btu/gal vs 125,000 Btu/gal for conventional gasoline (11.0% more) and 120,900 Btu/gal for E10 (14.7% more)This article compares diesel and gasoline on price, fuel economy, and cost per mile using 31 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 was priced below regular gasoline in 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2001 to 2004, and above it in every year since 2005. The annual premium reached $0.56/gallon in 2008, $1.04 in 2022, and $0.56 in 2025.
EIA Annual Average Retail Prices: U.S. Regular All Formulations Gasoline and No. 2 Diesel, 1995 to 2025| Year | Regular Gas | No. 2 Diesel | Diesel Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | $1.48 | $1.49 | +$0.01 |
| 2005 | $2.27 | $2.40 | +$0.13 |
| 2008 | $3.25 | $3.80 | +$0.56 |
| 2012 | $3.62 | $3.97 | +$0.35 |
| 2016 | $2.14 | $2.30 | +$0.16 |
| 2020 | $2.17 | $2.55 | +$0.38 |
| 2022 | $3.95 | $4.99 | +$1.04 |
| 2025 | $3.10 | $3.66 | +$0.56 |
03 Diesel and Gasoline Prices by Year
For readers looking for a specific year, the table below lists the U.S. annual average retail price of regular gasoline and No. 2 diesel for every year from 1995 through 2025, alongside the diesel premium over gasoline. For a deeper look at either fuel on its own, see the full diesel price history or gasoline price history.
EIA, Petroleum & Other Liquids, U.S. No 2 Diesel Retail Prices (source: PET_PRI_GND_A_EPD2D) and U.S. Regular All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices, annual averages, 1995–2025. Premium is the unrounded diesel-minus-gasoline difference, rounded to the nearest cent.| Year | Avg. Gasoline ($/gal) | Avg. Diesel ($/gal) | Diesel Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $1.11 | $1.11 | $0.00 |
| 1996 | $1.20 | $1.24 | +$0.04 |
| 1997 | $1.20 | $1.20 | $0.00 |
| 1998 | $1.03 | $1.04 | +$0.01 |
| 1999 | $1.14 | $1.12 | −$0.01 |
| 2000 | $1.48 | $1.49 | +$0.01 |
| 2001 | $1.42 | $1.40 | −$0.02 |
| 2002 | $1.34 | $1.32 | −$0.03 |
| 2003 | $1.56 | $1.51 | −$0.05 |
| 2004 | $1.85 | $1.81 | −$0.04 |
| 2005 | $2.27 | $2.40 | +$0.13 |
| 2006 | $2.57 | $2.71 | +$0.13 |
| 2007 | $2.80 | $2.88 | +$0.09 |
| 2008 | $3.25 | $3.80 | +$0.56 |
| 2009 | $2.35 | $2.47 | +$0.11 |
| 2010 | $2.78 | $2.99 | +$0.21 |
| 2011 | $3.52 | $3.84 | +$0.32 |
| 2012 | $3.62 | $3.97 | +$0.35 |
| 2013 | $3.50 | $3.92 | +$0.42 |
| 2014 | $3.36 | $3.83 | +$0.47 |
| 2015 | $2.43 | $2.71 | +$0.28 |
| 2016 | $2.14 | $2.30 | +$0.16 |
| 2017 | $2.42 | $2.65 | +$0.23 |
| 2018 | $2.72 | $3.18 | +$0.46 |
| 2019 | $2.60 | $3.06 | +$0.45 |
| 2020 | $2.17 | $2.55 | +$0.38 |
| 2021 | $3.01 | $3.29 | +$0.28 |
| 2022 | $3.95 | $4.99 | +$1.04 |
| 2023 | $3.52 | $4.21 | +$0.70 |
| 2024 | $3.30 | $3.76 | +$0.46 |
| 2025 | $3.10 | $3.66 | +$0.56 |
04 Fuel Economy: Diesel vs Gasoline
Diesel vehicles deliver better combined fuel economy than gasoline vehicles in every class checked, but by very different amounts: 28% for full-size pickups, 17% for compacts, 16% for full-size SUVs and 6% for midsize sedans. Sedans and compacts are compared over model years 2015 to 2019, the only years diesel versions appear; pickups and SUVs over 2015 to 2026.
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 | 18.5 | 23.6 | +28% |
| Standard SUV | 20.0 | 23.2 | +16% |
| Midsize Sedan* | 30.6 | 32.3 | +6% |
| Compact Car* | 30.1 | 35.3 | +17% |
Estimate your vehicle's driving cost using official EPA fuel economy data.
Use the Calculator05 Cost Per Mile: The Real Comparison
Cost per mile depends on both the price gap and the MPG gap. In 2025 diesel cost $0.56 more per gallon (18% more). That premium was smaller than the diesel MPG advantage for full-size pickups (28%), so diesel pickups were cheaper to fuel per mile. It was larger than the advantage for midsize sedans (6%) and slightly larger than for full-size SUVs (16%), and about equal to the compact-car advantage (17%).
Cost per mile = price per gallon / combined MPG. Gas: $3.10/gal; Diesel: $3.66/gal (EIA 2025 annual averages)| Vehicle Class | Gas Cost/Mi | Diesel Cost/Mi | Diesel Extra Cost/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Pickup | $0.167 | $0.155 | −$186 |
| Standard SUV | $0.155 | $0.158 | +$44 |
| Midsize Sedan* | $0.101 | $0.113 | +$141 |
| Compact Car* | $0.103 | $0.104 | +$9 |
The midsize sedan shows the largest diesel penalty per year ($141) because its diesel MPG advantage (6%) is the smallest of the four. Full-size pickups are the opposite case: over 5 years at 15,000 miles per year, a diesel pickup owner spends roughly $932 less on fuel than an equivalent gasoline pickup owner, at 2025 prices.
5 year difference: $186/year × 5 = $932, assuming stable prices. Actual costs vary with price fluctuations.06 Diesel in the American Fleet
Diesel has been a small share of new vehicle configurations in the EPA data for four decades. It peaked at 13.3% of model year 1984 configurations, fell to 2.7% by 1988, and has stayed at or below 3.5% in every model year since (1.5% in 2026).
EPA FuelEconomy.gov vehicle dataset: diesel configurations as percentage of all configurations by model yearIn the 2026 model year, all 18 diesel configurations in the EPA data (1.5% of 1,172) are standard pickups (10) or standard SUVs (8). The last model year with a diesel car in the data is 2019.
EPA/DOE Fuel Economy Guide (vehicles.csv), model year 2026 diesel configurations by EPA vehicle classEstimate your vehicle's driving cost using official EPA fuel economy data.
Use the Calculator07 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, all formulations), 1995 to 2025. Weekly Retail Gasoline and Diesel Prices survey.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Annual average retail No. 2 diesel prices, 1995 to 2025. Petroleum and Other Liquids, Retail Prices.
- EPA/DOE Fuel Economy Guide. Diesel and regular gasoline configurations, combined MPG averages by vehicle class (vehicles.csv), model years 2015 to 2026.
- EPA/DOE Fuel Economy Guide. All model years 1984 to 2026. Diesel configuration counts and share of total configurations.
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (U.S. Department of Energy), Transportation Energy Data Book, Edition 40. Table B.4, heat content for various fuels: low-sulfur diesel 138,700 Btu/gal, conventional gasoline 125,000 Btu/gal, E10 120,900 Btu/gal (gross).