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Prices to continue rising; drivers can save up to $250 per year by shopping around

With gas prices threatening $4 a gallon in some places of the United States in the coming months, GasBuddy is helping shoppers find the best and worst days to buy gas.

According to the gas site, prices are about 50% higher than they were a year ago and forecast to potentially hit $4 per gallon in the next few months. On Tuesday, the fuel-savings platform released a new study that found the best and worst days of the week to fill up in order to maximize savings.

According to their press release Tuesday, the lowest average gas prices in most of the United States is typically on Mondays. Contrary to previous years, Friday became one of the cheapest days of the week to buy gas in 2021, refuting  2019 results, which placed Friday as one of the most expensive days of the week at the pump, and can perhaps be attributed to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the emerging prominence of work from home lifestyles.

Among state listings, Minnesota’s best day to buy gas falls on Friday, while the worst day to buy gas is Thursday.

In 2019, Saturday was named the worst day of the week in 16 states. In 2021, Thursday topped the list as the most expensive day of the week by far in 28 states. Also in 2021, the middle of the week became far more expensive to fill up than on Mondays or Fridays. While the weekend previously held the title for the most expensive prices, Wednesday now follows Thursday as the most expensive day to fill-up.

“When it comes to saving money at the pump, Monday becomes more than the dreaded end of the weekend. GasBuddy analyzed gas price data and found that the first day of the work week offers the lowest average gas price in 17 states, making it yet again the best day to fill-up,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “Though there is variation in daily gas prices across different states, the consensus is that filling up at the beginning or end of the work week, on Monday or Friday, is the best way to save money. Following Monday, Sunday is the cheapest day to fill-up. But even if you can’t always time your fill ups, the golden rule is to always always shop around before filling up.”