Newport Beach drivers heading out for Labor Day weekend face the most expensive holiday fill-up on record, with the cheapest gallon of regular gas in town at $5.41.
That price, logged Wednesday, Sept. 2, at the 76 station at 3401 Newport Blvd., made it the lowest-cost pump in Newport Beach, according to fuel-tracking platform GasBuddy. The average across Orange County was $5.74 a gallon, according to Patch, citing AAA data.
Nationally, GasBuddy projects the Labor Day weekend average will land at $4.03 a gallon. That is 87 cents more than last year and tops the previous holiday record of $3.83 set in 2012. The national average already sat at $4.10 on Wednesday, Sept. 2, per Patch.
Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, pointed to global conflict as the main driver.
"This year has been less about typical supply and demand, and more about uncertainty over how global tensions will affect the availability of crude oil and refined products," De Haan said in the company's Tuesday, Sept. 1, forecast.
Conflict involving Iran has threatened shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical corridor for crude oil, according to GasBuddy. Drone strikes on Russian refineries have also cut refining capacity abroad, tightening worldwide supplies of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
Prices have climbed sharply. GasBuddy's five-year Labor Day price history tells the story: $3.16 in 2025, $3.29 in 2024, $3.77 in 2023, $3.79 in 2022. The projected $4.03 for 2026 would be the highest of the group by 24 cents.
De Haan also noted on X on Monday, Aug. 31, that summer 2026 gas prices are tracking as the second highest on record:
@GasBuddyGuy: "According to GasBuddy data, summer 2026 gas prices (Memorial Day through Labor Day) will end up being the second highest recorded at $4.023/gal, below 2022's $4.430/gal record."
When to hit the road
AAA and traffic-data firm INRIX recommend avoiding these peak windows over the holiday weekend:
- Thursday, Sept. 3: 2–7 p.m.
- Friday, Sept. 4: noon–8 p.m.
- Saturday, Sept. 5: 1–5 p.m.
- Monday, Sept. 7 (Labor Day): 2–5 p.m.
AAA also advises checking tire pressure, testing the battery and packing water and emergency supplies before any road trip. During last year's Labor Day weekend, the organization responded to more than 400,000 roadside assistance calls.
GasBuddy said prices typically moderate after Sept. 15, when much of the country switches to cheaper winter-blend gasoline. Whether they drop significantly depends on developments in the Middle East, according to De Haan.
