Customers at the GasWay Xpress Mart at 1120 Erie Blvd. pump gas on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Schenectady, N.Y. <\/p>\n
Lori Van Buren | Albany Times Union | Hearst Newspapers | Getty Images<\/p>\n
Holiday<\/a> road-trippers are feeling some relief at the pump this year.<\/p>\n The average price of unleaded gasoline<\/a> in the U.S. has been below $3 a gallon for most of the month \u2014 the lowest level since 2021, according to AAA<\/a>. The association said it’s shaping up to be the cheapest December<\/a> for drivers filling up their tanks going back to the pandemic year of 2020.<\/p>\n Fuel prices are down about 7% from a month ago, AAA data shows, and have tumbled roughly 43% from mid-2022 highs near $5 a gallon that followed runaway inflation in the wake of the pandemic.<\/p>\n The latest slide in prices comes as AAA forecasts a record of more than 122 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home <\/a>in the 13 days between Dec. 20 and Jan. 1. AAA found nearly nine of 10 people on the move during the period \u2014 or close to 110 million \u2014 are expected to travel by car.<\/p>\n The drop in pump prices may help mitigate the impact of lingering inflation<\/a> elsewhere during the holiday season.<\/p>\n