Riverside Gas Prices End Decline

The average cost of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Riverside County remained flat at $5.776 on Sunday.

This stability marked the first pause in a 29-day sequence of daily price drops. Data from the AAA and the Oil Price Information Service shows the cumulative reduction during that period totaled 55.3 cents. The final day of the decline saw prices fall by just 1.7 cents.

The downward trend began shortly after the previous 44-day rally ended. That earlier surge added 80.9 cents to the average, bringing it to within 4.4 cents of the all-time high of $6.373 recorded in October 2022. The recent drop started four days after Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Sept. 28 that retailers could sell cheaper winter-blend fuel immediately, rather than waiting for the standard Nov. 1 switch.

Current local prices sit 11.5 cents below the levels seen one week prior. They are also 55.3 cents lower than they were one month ago. However, the average is still $1.165 higher than the price recorded one year ago. Since the joint U.S. and Israel war on Iran began on Feb. 28, the local average has climbed by $1.225.

Nationally, the average gas price fell for the eighth straight day, dropping 1 cent to reach $4.173. This figure is 11.6 cents below last week’s level and 24 cents below the price from a month ago. The national average remains $1.135 above the year-ago mark and has risen by $1.191 since the conflict with Iran started.