COLUMBUS, Ohio — Many Central Ohioans may notice gas stations in certain areas or neighborhoods tend to consistently have cheaper prices than others.
Why does this happen, though?
Gasbuddy’s head of petroleum analysis Patrick DeHaan said there are a couple reasons.
Sometimes, it’s about timing. What day a station buys their gas can make a difference in how much they charge for it.
The bigger and more likely reason, though, just comes down to some stations, often close to each other wanting to compete for customers.
“It really just has to do with competition, and some stations just really want to have the lowest price,” DeHaan said. “If these stations have been going back and forth with having the lowest price, that often can last for quite sometime.”
He said that kind of price war is good for consumers, but over time, it could be bad for the gas stations involved.
DeHaan advises customers to take advantage of lower prices while they can, because they more than likely will not last forever at one station.
If you live somewhere further away from those areas with cheaper gas, it can be hard to figure out if it is even worth traveling to them to fill up.
For example, someone living in downtown Columbus might see that gas is much cheaper in Reynoldsburg or West Jefferson, but Gasbuddy says to consider a closer option instead of driving too far for that lower price.
“Often times, you have to save one to two cents every mile you’re driving out of your way. Meaning, if you’re driving 15 miles out of your way, you net generally need to save at least 15 or 30 cents a gallon to make it worth your wile,” DeHaan said.
He said this advice also depends on what kind of vehicle you drive.
People need to save way more money on gas for a bigger, less fuel efficient vehicle. For a smaller one, it may be smarter to make that journey for the cheaper price.
DeHaan said if you are making that longer journey for cheaper gas, take advantage of the trip, and get other errands done in that area.