- Gas prices jumped 46 percent in four months, hitting traditional vehicles the hardest.
- EV annual energy costs barely moved while gas vehicles saw a $706 average increase.
- Large SUVs, trucks, and minivans got hammered, with some owners facing $1,600+ jumps.
Gas prices have a way of fading into the background when they’re stable. Then they spike, and suddenly every fill-up feels like a minor financial crisis. Drivers of thirsty trucks and body-on-frame SUVs know the feeling all too well. A new study suggests 2026 has turned into one of those years where fuel costs go from annoyance to budget item almost overnight.
According to a new study from iSeeCars, gasoline prices climbed nearly 46 percent between January and April, moving from $2.81 to $4.10 per gallon. The picture has only worsened since. At the time of publishing on May 24, the national average sits at $4.52 for regular, $5.01 for mid-grade, $5.39 for premium, and $5.62 for diesel.
Even working from the smaller January-to-April window the study covers, the math is ugly: an average annual fuel-cost increase of $706 for traditional gas-powered vehicles. EV drivers, meanwhile, barely felt it, with annual charging costs up just $11.
Fuel Cost Increase By Drivetrain: Jan vs. Apr 2026
iSeeCars
The data comes from an analysis of more than 2.1 million three-year-old used vehicles sold in 2025. Researchers looked at average annual mileage and paired it with fuel costs in January and April to estimate how much ownership costs changed in just four months.
Read: As Gas Prices Soar, Here’s How To Cut Your Fuel Bill Now
The hit landed unevenly across powertrains. Internal-combustion vehicles were hit the hardest, jumping from $1,533 to $2,240 in annual fuel costs. Hybrids took a smaller hit, rising $486. Plug-in hybrids landed in the middle with a $291 increase. EVs barely moved at all, increasing from $714 to $725 annually, and that’s even more impressive when you consider that the study didn’t just sample drivers who can charge at home.
Fuel Cost Increase for Major Gas Vehicle Segments: Jan vs. Apr 2026
iSeeCars
Here’s the kicker. Efficiency alone wasn’t the whole story. Mileage played a huge role, too. Minivans, surprisingly, took the biggest hit of any segment. Annual fuel costs rose by $1,139, climbing to $3,610. Of course, a big piece of that is how much most minivans (save for the VW ID.Buzz) are built for lots of miles. Trucks with their comical fuel economy and brick-like drag coefficient weren’t far behind with a $992 jump.
SUV owners were almost karmically hit the hardest, with the Toyota Sequoia topping the charts at an average $1,623 increase. The Chevrolet Suburban came in second with $1,542, and the top three rounded out with the Nissan Armada at $1,513. Zoom out, and this may explain why hybrids continue gaining traction. They avoid the range anxiety and charging headaches some buyers still worry about, while taking a lot of the sting out of gas-price roulette.
