Memorial Day Gas Prices to Drop to Pandemic-Era Pricing

Image: Group of young people going on a road trip. (Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Alessandro Biascioli)
Image: Group of young people going on a road trip. (Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Alessandro Biascioli)
Lacey Pfalz
by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 12:05 PM ET, Tue May 20, 2025

Gas prices are expected to be the cheapest since 2021 this Memorial Day, easing the burden on the wallets of the nearly 40 million Americans who are expected to drive during the holiday. 

A new report from CNN found that the average price of gas is expected to be $3.08 on Memorial Day, which would be the lowest price during the holiday since Memorial Day 2021, during the pandemic, when travel was much lower and demand for gas was also much lower. 

AAA predicts that car travel will be up three percent this Memorial Day.  

“This is a win for consumers. And if the stars align later this summer, we could even see the national average drop below $3 a gallon,” Patrick DeHaan, GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis, told CNN. “Americans have to work less to fill up their tank.”

Reports from March and April showed a steady national average in gas prices, without a significant seasonal jump that typically occurs in April and May, largely due to Saudi Arabia and OPEC’s production increase. 

Higher demand in mid-May did encourage the average gallon to reach $3.19, though, so there is still a season swing in the process.

Oil prices also dropped to a four-year low in April when Trump announced his tariffs, contributing slightly to lower gas prices, though gas prices aren’t nearly as low. 


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Lacey Pfalz

Lacey Pfalz

Associate Editor

Lacey Pfalz is Associate Editor at TravelPulse. She's a passionate advocate of responsible travel and believes the best travel experiences happen outside of a planned itinerary. Lacey currently lives in rural Wisconsin. She can be reached at lpfalz@ntmllc.com.

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