It’s been a tough couple of years—pandemics, social unrest, heat waves, and more—but a complicating factor through all of it has been surging gas prices. Costs are beginning to stabilize, but a lot of damage has already been done and many states are raising their gas taxes to compensate—Virginia is no exception.

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How much is the Virginia gas tax?

Virginia’s new gas tax for 2022-2023 is $0.28 per gallon, which is a 7% increase from the previous rate of $0.266. As a result, every gallon of gas now costs about two cents extra and filling up a 20-gallon tank will cost around 40 cents more.

On paper, that doesn’t sound like much, but the reality is very different. For example, the population of the US in 2022 is roughly 332,403,650 people, and the average US citizen drives around 14,263 miles per year. If you multiply the two, you’ll see that Americans cumulatively drive almost 5 trillion miles per year! That’s a lot of gas, so even the slightest price increase is bound to have a significant impact on the average driver’s fuel costs.

Gas prices are known to fluctuate during periods of domestic or international duress—in this instance, the main cause for the price spike was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier in the year. Prices are finally starting to stabilize, but many people have already changed their driving habits and are likely to keep them thanks to an impending global recession.

Is gas tax relief on the way in Virginia?

Elected officials are at a bit of an impasse regarding the new tax rate. Before the tax hike went into effect, Governor Glenn Youngkin attempted to pass a three-month “gas tax holiday,” but the bill failed to pass the state senate.

Luckily, Virginia residents can expect some form of relief in the next few months. Earlier in the year, the 2022 Virginia State Assembly approved a one-time tax rebate of $250 for individual filers and up to $500 for joint filers. Rebates are expected to arrive sometime in the fall.

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How high are gas prices in Virginia?

According to the experts at AAA, the average price of a gallon of gas in Virginia is roughly $3.33 (as of September 2022).

That’s significantly less than the national average of $3.70, making Virginia one of the cheapest states in the country for gas. However, prices are not standardized across the state, so prices will fluctuate between counties and cities. For the most part, the cheapest gas can be found in the southern and central regions of the state.

No matter where you go, however, prices have risen significantly in the last year. In the Richmond-Petersburg area, the current average is $3.23, up from last year’s $2.97. In Bristol, over near the state line, the story is much the same—$3.30, up from $2.94 last year.

Let’s take a look at how average gas prices in some of Virginia’s other major cities compare, based on September 2022 data from AAA:

Charlottesville: $3.31 per gallon (vs. $2.99 in September 2021)

Lynchburg: $3.29 per gallon (vs. $2.97 in September 2021)

Roanoke: $3.30 per gallon (vs. $2.97 in September 2021)

Newport News-Norfolk-Virginia Beach: $3.24 per gallon (vs. $2.95 in September 2021)

Harrisonburg: $3.31 per gallon (vs. $3.01 in September 2021)

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Which state has the highest gas tax?

Pennsylvania is the state with the highest gas tax rate. Have a gander at the table below of gas tax rates in other states (as of September 2022):

State	Gas tax
Alabama	$0.28 per gallon
Alaska	$0.0895 per gallon
Arizona	$0.18 per gallon
Arkansas	$0.245 per gallon
California	$0.539 per gallon
Colorado	$0.22 per gallon
Connecticut	$0.0 per gallon
Delaware	$0.23 per gallon
District of Columbia	$0.235 per gallon
Florida	$0.334 per gallon
Georgia	$0.0 per gallon
Hawaii	$0.16 per gallon
Idaho	$0.32 per gallon
Illinois	$0.392 per gallon
Indiana	$0.33 per gallon
Iowa	$0.24 to $0.305 per gallon
Kansas	$0.240 per gallon
Kentucky	$0.246 per gallon
Louisiana	$0.20 per gallon
Maine	$0.30 per gallon
Maryland	$0.427 per gallon
Massachusetts	$0.24 per gallon
Michigan	$0.272 per gallon
Minnesota	$0.285 per gallon
Mississippi	$0.18 per gallon
Missouri	$0.22 per gallon
Montana	$0.33 per gallon
Nebraska	$0.248 per gallon
Nevada	$0.23 per gallon
New Hampshire	$0.222 per gallon
New Jersey	$0.421 per gallon
New Mexico	$0.17 per gallon
New York	$0.1735 per gallon
North Carolina	$0.385 per gallon
North Dakota	$0.230 per gallon
Ohio	$0.385 per gallon
Oklahoma	$0.19 per gallon
Oregon	$0.38 per gallon
Pennsylvania	$0.576 per gallon
Rhode Island	$0.34 per gallon
South Carolina	$0.28 per gallon
South Dakota	$0.28 per gallon
Tennessee	$0.26 per gallon
Texas	$0.20 per gallon
Utah	$0.319 per gallon
Vermont	$0.316 per gallon
Virginia	$0.28 per gallon
Washington	$0.494 per gallon
West Virginia	$0.357 per gallon
Wisconsin	$0.309 per gallon
Wyoming	$0.24 per gallon

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