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San Antonio's gasoline prices are inching closer to the highest all-time gas price of $4.69 for a gallon of regular unleaded.
On Monday, the American Automobile Association (AAA) said the average cost of a gallon of regular unleaded gas in San Antonio was $3.88, compared to the Texas average of $3.92 and the U.S. average of $4.46. Lubbock had the cheapest average on Monday of $3.75, while El Paso had the most expensive average at $4.17.
Daniel Armbruster, a spokesman for the Texas arm of AAA, emphasized to consumers that those are averages, so there can be higher and lower prices in a single city, including in San Antonio.
GasBuddy, a tech company and mobile app that helps identify the cheapest local fuel prices through community input in the U.S. and Canada, surveyed 886 stations on Sunday to report that the cheapest gas it found in San Antonio was priced at $3.40 a gallon, while the most expensive was $4.44, much closer to the all-time high in the Alamo City of $4.69, reported by AAA in the summer of 2022.
Experts said that record high of $4.69 in the Alamo City in the summer of 2022 was fueled by factors like Russia's war with Ukraine, the post-pandemic demand for gas to resume travel, and inflation.
Currently, in early May of 2026, we still have two of those same factors, inflation and war, but this time it's the U.S. war with Iran.
There's nothing San Antonians can do about any of those factors to lower the amount of money they are spending these days at the gas pump outside of buying a more fuel-efficient vehicle, such as a hybrid or all-electric vehicle.
But buying a new vehicle now may be overkill because there is no certainty about how long the war with Iran will last.
Armbruster said their research at AAA shows the number one way to make an existing vehicle more fuel efficient has a lot to do with the driver and not the vehicle.
"Adjust your speed, drive at a safe speed," he said, as a first step to save a little on gas. "Avoid aggressive driving and, of course, make sure your vehicle is well maintained."
Maybe these higher gas prices will have some positive impact — reducing speeding and curbing road rage.
Armbruster also said calls for Texas Governor Greg Abbott to suspend the motor fuels tax right now could lower prices, but it's not as easy a move as it appears.
"The fuel tax is around 20 cents a gallon. You know every little bit helps," he said. "But that ... also funds roadway construction. Our roadways in Texas, of course, are in constant need of repairs."
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is among those pressuring Abbott to act to suspend the Texas fuel tax, pointing out Georgia, Indiana, and Utah have already done so. But all three states could fit inside Texas, which has a lot more miles of state highways to build and maintain.
