This post is part of a series chronicling news coverage of rising gas prices in the United States. See more here.
ABC News covers rising gas prices: “I've never paid this much for gas in my entire life”
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From a May 1, 2026, video posted to ABC News YouTube page
PERSON 1: I've never paid this much for gas in my entire life.
REENA ROY (ABC NEWS): This morning, the ongoing war in Iran pushing gas prices to levels not seen in years, and experts say it could go much higher. Drivers are now paying an average of $4.41 a gallon, up from just under $3 at the start of the war. Americans across the country, feeling the impacts.
PERSON 2: I cut down on groceries a little bit. Yeah. Because gas is just more of an expense now. I used to not think about it.
PERSON 3: I choose not to drive as much. You know, it's really — it's costly. So I usually take my scooter. I take public transportation.
ROY: Diesel fuel used by trucks to move goods across the country now averaging nearly $5.50 a gallon. Experts say this could drive up the cost of everyday items as Americans continue to grapple with inflation. Roughly 20 million barrels of oil pass through the Strait Of Hormuz every day. And with the waterway still shut down, oil hit a wartime peak Thursday of more than a $126 a barrel.
PATRICK DE HAAN (GAS BUDDY): If the Strait Of Hormuz continues to be blocked or significantly impeded, we could see the national average pushing closer to $4.75 or even that $5 a gallon mark by Memorial Day.
ROY: The nation's highest prices are in California, where gas now averages $6 a gallon and even more at some stations.
PERSON 4: I'm not spending anything else on anything. It's all going to gas.
ROY: The president predicting relief will come once the war ends.
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ROY: But analysts say that could take some time.
DE HAAN: We are getting into territory where even if the strait does reopen, it could be beyond a year for gas prices to fully normalize back to their pre-war levels.
ROY: In some areas, public transit systems are reporting an uptick in bus ridership as drivers look for a way to cut costs.