One driver's costly stop for gas led to a quick look beneath the truck, echoing a kind of sticker shock many drivers know all too well.
They posted the anecdote to the r/mildlyinfuriating Reddit forum, where the discussion caught fire among other readers who felt the same way.
Here's what to know
The user joked in the title that they had checked under the truck to see whether gas "wasn't leaking."
The photo showed they had purchased almost 32 gallons of gas for over $172.
"Nope, just another day at the pump for unleaded," they reacted glumly in the post.
Responses grew to over 1,800 comments as drivers traded stories about abrupt changes in fuel costs. One commenter said that it "hit $6.10 today in my town."
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Another described the swing this way: "I filled up yesterday at 3.77. Today it's 4.15. It's like low stakes stock trading."
More background
Fuel price spikes can happen for various reasons. For drivers, though, all those larger forces usually show up in one place.
That number on the pump has been rising since the U.S. war in Iran began. There has been little relief since the conflict began, and drivers like the original posters are still doing double-takes at the damage every time they fill up.
Still, many commenters shared additional perspective. While the OP thought the prices were out of whack, they said it was even more expensive throughout Europe and in Australia.
"For the same amount of fuel in Australia that would be $224.41USD or $313.69AUD for that amount of fuel," one user shared. "Remember, it could be worse."
Not to be outdone, a poster from France posted their own prices.
"That's rookie numbers compared to Europe," they added. "In France we're currently at 2.10€/L for petrol and 2.25 for diesel. Which is roughly 9.22$/gal and 9.88$/gal."
What's being done?
For drivers of gas-powered vehicles, there isn't much that can be done. Some introductory steps include combining trips, carpooling, and taking actions to improve driving efficiency.
For motorists who can afford it, switching to an electric vehicle is one way to reduce reliance on volatile gas prices. EV drivers in the thread touted the difference.
One EV driver said they felt even more confident in their decision to switch to an electric car after using a gas loaner while their regular vehicle was in for maintenance.
"When I went to fill up the loaner before returning it, just 10% of the tank cost me $18," they wrote. "Meanwhile, I spend about $30/month charging my EV. Needless to say, I'm never going back to gas."
Where can I learn more?
High-mileage drivers, like the OP in this case, could be some of the beneficiaries of switching to EVs. For that to work, though, public charging needs to be simple and predictable.
• States and the nonprofit Coltura are targeting high-mileage drivers to make EV savings more accessible.
• A pickup driver sparked backlash after parking in an EV charging spot.
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