Getting gas in the U.S.: How much does it cost? Prepayment at gas stations…
Making a road trip of several weeks is often a big gas budget. We took very expensive during our trip in Iceland and New Zealand but in the United States, the bill is much less painful.
What types of fuel?
In the United States, you have 4 types of fuel: Diesel, 87 (or regular), 89 and 93.
Be sure to ask your car rental company for the fuel level of the vehicle as it isn’t indicated on the fuel tank door.
In our case we had 87 which seems to be the equivalent of Lead Free 95 in France.
That’s good, it’s the cheapest fuel!
In the United States, we measure in braid and not in liters
When you pass a gas station for the first time, don’t panic when you see the prices. The unit of measurement is the gallon, not the liter.
One gallon corresponds to 3,785 liters!
How much does gasoline cost in the United States?
As in France, it varies according to the days and stations. The good news is that gasoline in the United States is much (much) less taxed, so it’s much cheaper.
By way of comparison, during our stay (August 2019) in Florida, the 87 stripe was paid about 2.39 dollars. Converted in liter and in euros, it gives 56 cents a liter!
At the same time, the liter of SP 95 in France was bought around 1.5 euros!
The difference is impressive, for the price of a liter in France, you have almost 3 in the United States! We understand better why we see so many big cars like pickup or 4×4 in the United States.
How to pay for gas at gas stations?
As in France, petrol stations are equipped with machines that allow you to pay by credit card. However, for some unexplained reason, my card was systematically refused (although it worked everywhere else).
I tried it in 2 or 3 different stations and finally gave up.
Since you had to buy fuel, the alternative is to go to the station counter (usually open 24 hours a day) and prepay your consumption.
All you have to do is indicate the number of the pump, the amount you want in dollars and pay, by credit card (which works at the counter!) or cash.
You can then help yourself. If finally the prepaid amount was too large, there are two options:
- If you have prepaid in cash, return to the counter to request the exchange.
- If you prepaid by card, you don’t have to do anything, the amount will be automatically adjusted within 48 hours (the prepayment is only a bank loan and not the final payment).
How to use the pump?
Once you have prepaid, simply take the gun out, press the button corresponding to the fuel you want and use it
Little trick, the pistols have a small trigger to block the gun. This way, you can fill the tank in “hands-free” mode, the gun will automatically stop when the tank is full. It is very practical and I don’t think it exists in France.
Some are head over heels and sometimes cars leave and forget to put the gun away, which tears the hose from the distributor (ahahhaha, we won’t mention a name).
Last point to know: in a station, I felt very stupid when I was unable to help myself, I could pull the trigger but the fuel didn’t come out. I had to ask for help: I just had to lift a plastic lever to activate the pump (see picture below).
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