Besides a 3-cent uptick in the middle of this week, gas prices have been reliably falling month over month since this summer’s record highs. 

As of Wednesday, 22 states had an average gas price under $3.00. Texas led the way with an average gas price of $2.70.

Demand Is Still Lower than Last Year

Current gas demand in the US is still 300,000 barrels per day lower than this time last year. And that’s even after demand grew from 8.26 million to 8.71 million barrels per day in mid-December. 

Even with upticks in demand, gas supply in the US grew by more than 2.5 million barrels.

Prices Should Continue Falling in New Year

Here’s what AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross had to say about the ongoing fall in prices. 

“The cost of oil, gasoline’s main ingredient, has been hovering in the low-to-mid $70s per barrel, and that’s $50 less than the peak last Spring. Combined with low seasonal demand, gas prices could slide a bit more before leveling off.”  

If supply continues to outpace demand and demand remains lower through the winter, these declining prices will likely continue. 

How Does This Impact Car Prices?

Filling up a tank of gas is a minuscule expense compared with purchasing a new car. But the two prices will always be inextricably tied. 

As gas prices rise, we see buyers favor fuel-efficient cars. That means buyers are buying fewer non-work trucks, performance cars, and large SUVs.

Prices go so high this summer that we were seeing people giving up gas altogether, choosing to make the switch to an EV or give public transit a try. 

But now that gas prices have fallen for a prolonged period of time, we see a large uptick in the quantity and prices of the less fuel-efficient cars on our marketplace. 

So if you’ve been thinking about selling a gas guzzler, do it before gas prices go back up in the spring.