Diesel prices soar to unthinkable highs in California and nationwide

Amid continued instability in the Strait of Hormuz amid the war with Iran, diesel prices are soaring to never-before-seen highs nationwide and in particularly in the state of California.

by Summer Lane | September 11, 2026

Diesel prices in the U.S. hit a new record this week, following a pricey Labor Day weekend and continued volatility in the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S. wages war against Iran.

According to data from GasBuddy, the national average price of diesel hit $6 per gallon for the first time in history this week, up $2.30 from the same time last year.

Additionally, GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis, Patrick De Haan, announced Friday that California will soon be the first state in the nation to hit an average diesel price of $8 per gallon ($7.93 as of Friday).

Some stations have already surpassed $9 per gallon in California, the agency’s data found.

“Not every day are new all-time records set, and this will be a particularly painful one for the economy that may not even be immediately felt, but record diesel prices will impact every cargo, shipment, every delivery Americans are taking, and are likely to reignite inflation up and down the supply chain,” De Haan said in a statement.

On Thursday, De Haan said in an earlier statement that some California gas stations had shockingly maxed out their marque at $9.99 per gallon.

According to data from AAA, the national average price per gallon for gasoline rose a whopping 13 cents since last week, spiking to $4.27.

The high prices are likely to continue as long as the energy chokepoints in the Middle East – the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait – remain threatened.

This week, reports surfaced that the Iranian-backed Houthis seized Yemen’s strategic port city of Mocha, on the cusp of the Red Sea. The Houthis have also seized Dhubab, Suqar Island, Hisn Murad, and Perim Island – all key points along the Yemeni coastline, which influence the in-and-out flow of traffic in the Bab el-Mandeb.

Photo: Pixabay