Arizonans, your 2026 fuel bill is on track to be a major bummer

Phoenix is a driving city. We drive everywhere, and long distances at that. So we need gas. 

But filling up a car’s gas tank is a painful process for Phoenicians these days. For months now, gas prices have fluctuated at the pump. And mostly in the wrong direction: up. For many, it’s an inelastic demand, meaning no matter how much prices go up, we continue driving and buying the same amount. 

After all, you can only cut back so much on driving to live here. Your commute to work is your commute to work. And the nearest supermarket isn’t going to pick itself up and move closer to you. So we drive past fuel stations and scour apps trying to find the best deal that’s not too far out of our way. We wait in long lines at Costco’s pumps and get perilously close to empty while waiting for a Circle K Inner Circle Fuel Day.

Well, fellow Phoenicians, here’s some validation for the pain you feel. Out of the 50 states in our great nation, we’ve weathered the third-highest increase in annual fuel costs this year. That sucks.

According to a study by iSeeCars, annual fuel costs rose by $963 in Arizona between January and April of this year, from $1,678 to $2,641. Only two states — Wyoming and Utah — experienced bigger spikes. Sometimes it’s great to get the bronze medal. This is not one of those cases. 

Per the study, Wyoming faced the highest annual fuel cost increases — $1,209 over the same four-month period. Utah was next with a $967 increase. Meanwhile, lucky New Yorkers came in last and are paying only $487 more in gas. Arizona is spending nearly twice as much! 

The automotive search engine site analyzed data for over 2.1 million 3-year-old used vehicles sold in 2025. It used the average annual odometer reading for each car by state and AAA average fuel cost data from January 2026 and April 2026 — a period that coincides with the Trump administration starting a war with Iran that has shocked global fuel prices — to calculate cost increases and rank the states. The study assumed each car’s tank was fully empty before being refueled.

Drivers of bigger vehicles — trucks and SUVs — are suffering the most. In Arizona, the gas-guzzlingest vehicle is the Nissan Armada. Armada drivers, who the study says average 18,479 miles per year, are spending $2,004 more on fuel this year. That’s more than twice the amount of the average fuel cost increase in the state and the fifth-highest fuel cost increase in the nation. Toyota Sequoia drivers in Tennessee took the cake with an annual fuel cost increase of $2,190.

So, while it will hurt the next time you fill up, rest a bit easier knowing that everyone else at the pump is groaning just as hard as you are.