Gas Prices Up, Higher than National Average

Gas prices in the Philadelphia area jumped about a nickel per gallon over last week, according to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report … and they jumped a bit higher in the Upper Dublin area.

According to AAA, the price for a gallon of regular gas in the Philadelphia region is $3.77; premium gas will cost you another $0.28 per gallon. Those prices are both up more than a quarter over last month.

About a year ago, regular fuel was about a dime cheaper per gallon and premium gas was $0.15 per gallon less than it is now.

Prices at gas stations in the Upper Dublin area are generally higher than both the regional and the national averages — fuel prices at almost every gas station jumped over last week.

The cheapest regular fuel can be had at Cumberland Farms — it’s going for $3.74 per gallon. If your car’s compression ratio is higher and demands the more expensive stuff, hit up the Shell station or the Sunoco station — both places are selling premium gas for $4.09. Incidentally, most cars that require “premium” gas require a minimum octane rating of 91, making 92 and 93 octane fuel unnecessary. Sunoco sells 91 octane and it’s usually a couple cents cheaper than the sometime-unnecessary 93 octane gas.

And how far are we from the highest-ever gas prices? The highest average price for regular fuel in the Philadelphia region was $4.16 in June 2008.