Gas Falls to $4.10 — but It Is Still the Highest Price Ever Recorded in Early November

The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline fell 12 cents in one week to $4.10 on November 5, AAA reported, the 12th straight daily drop as crude oil dipped back into the high-$80 to low-$90 per barrel range. But the relief is relative: pump prices remain the highest ever recorded during this time of year. Before 2026, the national average had never gone above $4 per gallon in November, and the current average is more than a dollar higher than a year ago, when it was $3.08.

The Election Day number tells the same story. On Tuesday, November 3, the average was $4.14 — the highest ever on an Election Day going back to 1994, according to Energy Information Administration data. AAA’s average has been above $4 per gallon since April, and diesel is far worse at $6.26 a gallon nationally.

The state spread is enormous. California averages $5.84 a gallon, the highest in the country, while North Carolina is the cheapest at $3.34 — because the state suspended its 41-cent-per-gallon motor fuel tax on October 10 under the Relief at the Pump Act, a holiday that runs through November 30. Add the tax back and North Carolina would be about $3.75. The all-time national high remains $5.02, set June 14, 2022 — a record this November is not close to breaking, but one drivers would not have believed possible a year ago.