(April 6, 2019) WASHINGTON — Spring fever may be in the air, but American motorists already have summer road trips top of mind. AAA’s latest gas price survey found that if prices remain low, one in three Americans (33 percent) would likely plan another summer road trip while 27 percent would increase the distance of one — with Generation X more likely to do both than Baby Boomers.

AAA expects the national gas price average this spring to reach $2.75, a savings of nearly 20-cents compared to last spring’s high of $2.92.

“Cheaper crude oil prices have helped to keep pump prices lower this winter,” said Jeanette Casselano, AAA spokesperson. “While we are seeing the national gas price average increase and mirror prices from this time last year, spring pump prices for the majority of motorists are not expected to elevate to the nearly $3/gallon level of last May.”

However, motorists on the West Coast and in the Rockies region will likely see prices reach or exceeded $3/gallon, which is similar to last year.



In addition to increasing the number or mileage of summer road trips, the AAA survey shows that Americans said lower gas prices would encourage them to spend or save more, but this varies based on generation and region:

    • The majority of Millennials (53%) and Gen X (49%) would put aside money for savings as compared to Baby Boomers (44%).

    • Generation X is more likely to increase shopping/dining out, drive more on a weekly basis or use more expensive gas as compared to compared to Baby Boomers.

    • Motorists in the South (11%) and West (10%) say they would use more expensive gas while five percent of those in the Mid-West (5%) and seven percent in the Northeast (7%) would be willing to upgrade fuel type.

While the first few months of this year ushered in daily national gas price averages that were, at times, as much as 35-cents cheaper than a year ago, pump price since the middle of March have been mostly similar to pump prices this time last year. Today’s national gas price average is four-cents more expensive than a year ago.

“Historically, early spring triggers an increase in pump prices due to an increase in demand as Americans put the winter blues behind them and drive more. Another factor pumping up the price is the switchover to summer-blend gasoline, which is more expensive for refiners to produce,” added Casselano.

The difference between summer- and winter-blend gasoline involves the Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) of the fuel. RVP is a measure of how easily the fuel evaporates at a given temperature. The more volatile a gasoline (higher RVP), the easier it evaporates. Summer-blend gasoline has a lower RVP to prevent excessive evaporation when outside temperatures rise.

Reducing the volatility of summer gas decreases emissions that can contribute to unhealthy ozone and smog levels. A lower RVP also helps prevent drivability problems, especially in older vehicles. Summer-blend is more expensive to produce and that cost is passed on to the consumer each spring.