Monday is usually the cheapest day to buy gas. Fridays are surprisingly affordable compared to other days. Sundays also offer lower prices, making them a good option. Tuesdays can be a good day for savings too.
Buy Gas on Monday or Tuesday
Be strategic about the days you fill up at the pump. “For gas, Mondays and Tuesdays tend to be the cheapest days to fill up your tank as demand is lower at the beginning of the week,” Anderson said.
You may have heard that it's better to buy your gasoline first thing in the morning, rather than in the heat of the day. That's because mornings tend to be cooler, and like all liquids, gasoline expands when heated.
Fill Up Your Tank First Thing in the Morning
Therefore, if you purchase gasoline in the afternoon or evening after the sun has warmed the ground, you'll get less gas in your gallon than if you had refueled that morning, when the ground temperature was still low.
Best Day of the Week
According to a GasBuddy petroleum analyst, Monday and Tuesday is when gas prices are typically at their cheapest. As the week goes on, prices steadily tend to rise while finally culminating in the highest price during the weekend.
Fill up on a Tuesday or Wednesday
Most retailers run on a petrol price cycle. These cycles usually last four to six weeks in major cities, and prices move from a low point to a high point.
Following Monday, Sunday is the cheapest day to fill-up. But even if you can't always time your fill ups, the golden rule is to always shop around before filling up.”
“It's not going to matter how quickly or slowly you pump the fuel into your vehicle,” she explained to 10 On Your Side. “You're still going to get the same amount of fuel because the air is going to be forced out of your tank as the fuel goes in.”
Many people are busy with weekend plans, which means less demand at the pump. This can lead to lower prices.
You can get more bang for your buck if you buy your gas in the early morning or late evening hours when it's generally cooler out. If you pump gas during the midday hours, after the sun has been beating down on the gas reservoir all day, the gas has likely expanded.
Don't wait till the Tank is Empty
It is recommended that you refill the tank once it is a quarter full. That allows you to leverage gas mileage since the vehicle is lighter with a partially filled tank. The pump will also be pumping cleaner gas.
It is best to fill up your gas tank during the early morning hours or late at night when the weather is cooler. Fuel contracts when it is exposed to cold temperatures.
On Mondays, some prices tick upward in the afternoon, so it's often a good idea to fill up in the morning. On Fridays, prices often spike in part because some stations are seeking to make more money ahead of weekend trips. Stations are busiest on Friday afternoons around 5 p.m., according to GasBuddy.
In the US most gas stations do not charge a different price in the evening vs the daytime.
The cheapest day to shop for groceries
While specific days of the week are best for saving on specific items, the best overall shopping days are Wednesday and Thursday. Bread and beer are typically marked down on Wednesdays, and snacks are often cheapest on Thursdays, according to shopping experts.
But saving money at the pump doesn't just mean knowing where to fill up – it also helps to know when to fill up. In general, gas prices tend to be lowest at the beginning of the week, on Monday and Tuesday, GasBuddy's lead petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan told Nexstar.
Gasoline prices tend to increase when the available gasoline supply decreases relative to real or expected gasoline demand or consumption. Gasoline prices can change rapidly if something disrupts crude oil supplies, refinery operations, or gasoline pipeline deliveries.
Some larger high traffic locations have to be refueled 3 times a week. Some smaller ones can go a very long time. Usually the more pumps they have and the larger their tanks are to fill get fueled at least once or twice a week.
Midsize conventional gasoline cars achieve their best fuel economy at 55 mph. The fuel economy of midsize conventional diesel cars declines gradually from 45 to 55 mph and then drops quickly thereafter. The midsize hybrid electric vehicle loses efficiency more evenly between 45 and 75 mph.
However, what's more likely is that your car's fuel economy is best when there's less air caught in your fuel tank, i.e. when the gas tank is full. Having a tank full of gas means the fuel evaporates at a slower rate due to the lack of air, giving you more miles per gallon.
The short answer is yes. Driving slower can save gas. When you drive at lower speeds, your engine doesn't have to work as hard to overcome air resistance, which is a significant factor in fuel consumption, especially at higher speeds. Additionally, rapid acceleration and abrupt braking lower your fuel efficiency.
Historically, the weekend — Saturday in particular — has been the worst day to buy fuel. So, it is unusual to find out that Thursday was by far the most expensive day to buy gasoline in 2021. According to the numbers, 28 states had Thursday as the day with the highest average gas price.
When the temperature is cooler, fuel is denser and takes up less space. This means that when you fill up your tank during the early morning or late at night, you are getting more fuel for your money.
Based on the data in another report from GasBuddy, the cheapest day to buy gas is typically Monday. And since Costco tends to keep their gas prices pretty competitive, you can expect this pattern to hold at Costco, too. After Monday, the next-cheapest day to buy gas is either Friday or Sunday.