-- US gasoline prices climbed sharply this week, with the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline rising to $4.536 per gallon on Wednesday, according to American Automobile Association data.
That was up 30.7 cents, or 7.3%, from $4.229/gal a week earlier.
Prices were also significantly higher than a year ago, when regular gasoline averaged $3.158/gal, marking an increase of 43.6% over the year.
Despite the latest surge, prices remain below the all-time high of $5.016/gal recorded by AAA on June 14, 2022.
Diesel prices also moved higher, with the national average reaching $5.674/gal, up from $5.464/gal a week earlier, an increase of 3.8%.
Compared with a year ago, when diesel averaged $3.54/gal, prices are up 60.3%. AAA said the record high for diesel was $5.816/gal, set on June 19, 2022.