A new study by GasBuddy reveals the most popular times of day drivers in all 50 U.S. states bought fuel.
Key findings include:
Drivers in most states buy gas between 4 and 5 p.m. People in 24 states – including California, Florida and Louisiana – most frequently purchase gasoline between 5-6 p.m. Another 23 states, like Alabama, Arizona and Oregon purchased fuel most frequently between 4-5 p.m., according to GasBuddy data. Across the U.S., Friday is the most popular day to fill up, with 15.9 percent of weekly sales.
West Virginians are early risers. While the majority of states fill up in the evening, West Virginians prefer to fill their tanks mid-morning, purchasing the most fuel between 10-11 a.m. – 8.3 percent of West Virginian fuel sales happen between 10-11 a.m., more than any other hour of the day. According to Pay With GasBuddy data, 28 percent of West Virginians buy fuel before noon.
Virginians fill up with a mid-afternoon snack. Another outlier from the after-work standard – drivers in Virginia purchase the most gas during the 3 p.m. hour, while 32 percent of Virginians purchase gas between noon and 3 p.m., with 8.6 percent of fuel sales occurring between 3-4 p.m. The hours of 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. were close behind, with 8.38 and 8.58 percent of sales, respectively.
Montana drivers pump gas on their lunch break. Motorists in the Big Sky State purchased the most gas during the noon hour in 2021. However, in 2020 the most frequent fill up time in Montana was 3-4 p.m., and it was 5-6 p.m. in 2019. Could lifestyle changes from the pandemic have created a lasting trend? According to Pay with GasBuddy data, 31.7 percent of people in Montana now fill up their tanks between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Data for the study is representative of trends from April 1, 2021, to May 31, 2021.
GasBuddy has delivered more than $3 billion in cumulative savings to its users through providing real-time gas price information at 150,000-plus stations, offering cash back rewards on purchases with brand partners, and through the Pay With GasBuddy payments card that offers cents-off per gallon at virtually all gas stations across the U.S.
