LOS ANGELES (KNX) — California gas prices hit an average price of $4.68 on Sunday — the highest recorded average price for regular gasoline in state history.
California's average prices have far outstripped national rates. The national average dipped slightly to $3.41 on Sunday.
Gas prices have been increasing throughout 2021. According to Doug Shupe, spokesperson for the Automobile Club of Southern California, drivers in the L.A.-Long Beach metropolitan area are paying $21 more per fill-up than they were at this time last year.
"The bottom line is it's higher crude oil prices," Shupe told KNX 1070. "The demand for fuel is so strong."
Shupe noted that typically gas prices fall in autumn as the summer travel season winds down. But he said "pent up demand for travel" amid the COVID-19 pandemic has kept demand for fuel high well beyond Labor Day.
It's not a trend Shupe sees going away anytime soon. "It's something we're likely going to see at least through the end of the year," he said.
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