Gas falls 12 cents in a week, still about $1 above last year
The AAA national average for regular gasoline was $4.10 a gallon on November 5, down 12 cents from $4.23 a week earlier and from $4.37 a month ago. AAA says prices have been falling for about two weeks as crude oil eased back toward the high $80s per barrel; US benchmark crude (WTI) settled at $88.12 on Wednesday, down $7.97. The drop still leaves gas about $1.02 above the $3.08 average of a year ago, and AAA notes that prices are the highest it has ever recorded for this time of year.
Show the data
| Date | Price per gallon |
|---|---|
| Nov 5, 2026 | $4.10 |
| One week earlier | $4.23 |
| One month earlier | $4.37 |
| One year earlier | $3.08 |
Prices still vary widely by state. California ($5.83), Hawaii ($5.64) and Nevada ($5.18) are the most expensive; North Carolina ($3.34), Georgia ($3.54) and Texas ($3.58) are the cheapest. For EV drivers, AAA puts the national average for public charging at 42 cents per kWh, up one cent for the week, from 31 cents in Kansas to 55 cents in Hawaii.
What it means for owners: with a gap of almost $2.50 a gallon between the cheapest and most expensive states, the price at your own station matters more than the national figure. Logging each fill up shows your real cost per mile; see our guide to real fuel economy or try the fuel economy calculator.
October sales hold steady, but the average payment climbs to $823
New vehicle sales ran at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 15.54 million in October, down 0.9% from a year earlier, according to NADA Market Beat as reported by CBT News. NADA still expects 2026 to end at or above 16 million. Conventional hybrids made up 15.7% of sales so far this year, up 3.1 points, while fully electric vehicles fell to 6.2%, down 2.1 points.
Financing keeps getting more expensive. J.D. Power estimates the average monthly payment on a new vehicle loan at $823 in October, up 2.6% from a year earlier, with an average interest rate of 6.81%, up 0.19 points.
What it means for owners: keeping your current car longer is often the cheapest choice when payments are this high, and a well maintained car is easier to keep. Our guide to the true cost of owning a car helps you compare. If you are buying, look at the total cost of the loan, not only the monthly payment.
