Asheville Gas Prices Reach $3.76 Per Gallon Amid Iran Conflict

An 85-cent spike in Asheville area fuel prices since last month pushed the metro average to $3.76 per gallon, adding roughly $38 to the monthly gas bill of a typical Buncombe County driver based on average commuting patterns. For the contractors, delivery workers, and home health aides who log closer to 2,000 miles a month across the county in a work van, that monthly increase runs closer to $107.

The Asheville metro area, which GasBuddy tracks across Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson and Madison counties, showed a striking 70-cent spread at the station level as of March 20: the cheapest location was priced at $3.09 per gallon while the priciest reached $3.79. A 12-gallon fill-up at the lowest-priced station saves more than $8 compared to the most expensive one nearby. GasBuddy's data through that Friday showed prices climbing 22 cents in a single week and 1.5 cents in a single day, a pace that carried the metro average from $3.54 on March 20 to $3.76 by month's end.

The driver behind those numbers traces from the Persian Gulf to the pump prices posted outside stations on Merrimon Avenue, Tunnel Road, and Brevard Road. Conflict in Iran, now entering its fourth week, disrupted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint through which roughly a fifth of global oil shipments move. With Gulf producers forced to curtail output, Brent crude prices surged toward $120 per barrel. Refiners absorbed those higher costs and passed them through wholesale markets, arriving at the per-gallon figure that flashes on Buncombe station marquees.

The national average for regular gasoline reached $3.92 per gallon as of March 20, up 97.7 cents since the prior month, nearly a full dollar in under 30 days, according to GasBuddy. North Carolina's statewide average stood at $3.66 on that same date, putting Asheville's current $3.76 a dime above the state figure. Neighboring markets tracked similar increases: Greenville, S.C. averaged $3.65 per gallon, up $1.02 since last month, and Spartanburg, S.C. averaged $3.58, a 96.7-cent monthly gain.

For drivers looking to cut costs this week, the 70-cent station-to-station price gap within the metro makes comparison shopping the single fastest available relief. GasBuddy's app displays real-time prices by neighborhood and flags the cheapest stations near any address in Buncombe and the surrounding counties. The platform's pay-at-pump card can cut per-gallon costs by up to 30 cents at participating stations. Keeping tires inflated to manufacturer specifications and consolidating errands into fewer trips are free adjustments that reduce fuel consumption enough to partially offset what March's price surge has added to the household budget.