PHOENIX — There are gas stations across the street from each other with different prices.
In some places, there are two locations of the same chain gas station next to each other, each with different gas prices.
Why?
According to gasbuddy.com, there's a range of almost a whole dollar between the lowest gas in the Valley and the most expensive. It's not more expensive in one part of town or another. It's not even that one gas station chain is always more or less costly...it's a toss-up.
"What we're seeing right now is the rapid run-up in wholesale prices has thrown everything out the window," National Association of Convenience Sores spokesman Jeff Lenard said.
"In normal times, prices differ from location t location on a variety of factors," Lenard said.
That can be anything from the taxes involved, the gas station's location, how much they're buying, even the competition down the street. Lenard also said the brand of gas (Chevron, Exxon, etc.) can cause the price to fluctuate as well.
And fluctuate it does...a lot more now than it has previously Lenard said. And gas station owners generally set their own prices.
"They price their gas based on the check that they have to write for that fuel," Lenard said.
A typical tanker truck is 8,000 gallons of gas. If a gas station buys the entire truck, that's $32,000. But the next truck may cost more than $4 a gallon, and that's the truck Lenard said you're paying for.
"If they get multiple deliveries," Lenard said. "They will change their price accordingly."
Meaning, every time a tanker comes to refill the gas station, your gas price can change.
And while gasoline does come to the Valley in the same pipelines, Lenard said all gas is not the same.
Lenard said it gets divided up among the gasoline companies when it hits the end of the pipeline. Each company then adds in its own mix of additives, then sells it under its brand name.
All of those steps and variables mean there's no set price for gas, and it's tough to predict where the best prices will be.
Your best bet is to use one of the many apps that track gas prices to find the cheapest and decide if you want to travel to get it.
To find the lowest gas prices in Arizona, click here.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: ¿Por qué la gasolina es más cara en algunas otras gasolineras?
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