Average retail gasoline prices in Chattanooga rose 4.1 cents per gallon in the past week, but local motorists are still enjoying some of the cheapest gas prices in the South and are starting the new year with fuel prices in Chattanooga averaging 32 cents per gallon below the U.S. average.
According to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 170 gas outlets in Chattanooga, the average of price of gas in Chattanooga this week is 2.16 per gallon, compared with a U.S. average of $2.48 per gallon.
The price of gas on New Year’s Day in Chattanooga was 9.3 cents per gallon higher than a year earlier and the highest average price for the start of the year in Chattanooga in four years. But Chattanooga maintained some of the cheapest gas prices in the region.
Two Brainerd Road stations in Chattanooga – Delta Express and Speedway – offered the lowest price of any stations in Tennessee, Georgia or Alabama with gas priced today at $1.96 per gallon.
“It’s mostly a happy New Year as gas prices remain in the low-to-mid $2 per gallon range, but it’s not quite as happy as could be as it’s the priciest start to a New Year since 2014,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “2017 wrapped up a fairly tame year, but keep in mind oil prices are among the highest we’ve witnessed in over two years, and we’re in the middle of a severe cold snap, one which is likely to drive up demand for heating oil, propane and other petroleum products, which is certainly a bullish start to the year.”