Gas Prices Spiked This Week by as Much as 20 Cents, but Here Are Your Cheapest Stations

Fuel prices in the Orange County area are at their highest since 2008, as political pressure intensifies in oil-rich Libya and other Mideast countries.

The cheapest gas that we're seeing at stations in the vicinity of Seal Beach, Rossmoor and Los Alamitos is 10 to 20 cents higher than last week. That's a steeper increase than the rest of the region is seeing on average, with locals paying about 13 cents a gallon more than the countywide average.

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in Orange County is $3.596, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Weekend Gas Watch. A gallon of regular is roughly 10.2 cents more than a week ago, 25 cents higher than last month, and 66 cents higher than a year ago. 

Prices for a gallon of regular elsewhere in the state:  the Inland Empire, $3.580; San Diego, $3.618; and the Central Coast, $3.640. According to MapQuest, the lowest price for gas in the U.S. is $2.74 and the highest is $4.33.

“Continued Middle East tension has pushed oil prices to levels not seen since 2008, which was the only other year gas prices were this high,” said Auto Club spokesperson Jeffrey Spring. “As we head into the traditional months for gas price increases, the Auto Club advises motorists to conserve fuel by regularly checking and correcting their tire pressure, refraining from speeding, carpooling when possible and removing unnecessary excess weight from their vehicles.”

The stations currently selling the cheapest gas in the Seal Beach, Los Alamitos and Rossmoor areas are listed below. Local prices are according to GasBuddy.com and reflect prices reported within the last 24 hours.

 Chevron at 4000 Lampson Ave. and Basswood Street

• Regular—$3.73
• Premium—$3.89

76  at 12071 Seal Beach Blvd. and Bradbury Road

• Regular—$3.69
• Premium—$3.79

Arco at 11171 Los Alamitos Blvd. and Hedwig Road

• Regular—$3.55
• Premium—$3.89

Shell at 10961 Los Alamitos Blvd. and Katella Avenue

• Regular—$3.69
• Premium—$3.89

Go to autos.aol.com/cheap-gas-prices/ for more prices in the region.  If you are planning a trip this weekend, go to gasbuddy.com/Trip_Calculator.aspx and plug in your travel plans to find out how much it will cost you.