Michigan Gas Prices Hit New 2022 High, AAA Says

MICHIGAN — Shortly after federal officials warned that Russia's invasion into Ukraine could push gas prices to record levels, Michigan set a new 2022 high for the average cost of gas per gallon, according to AAA.

Michiganders are now paying an average of $3.55 per gallon for regular unleaded gas, an 18 cent increase from just last week, according to AAA. The new average is also 33 cents higher than this time last month and almost a dollar more than this time last year.

To fill a 15-gallon tank of gas now cost Michiganders an average of $53, the highest since September 2014.

Metro Detroit, however, still remains among the least expensive areas in the state for gas, with an average of $3.54 per gallon. Some of the areas with the least expensive gas include Traverse City at $3.54 and Ann Arbor at $3.56.

Some of the most expensive gas prices in the state include Saginaw ($3.58), Lansing ($3.58) and Benton Harbor ($3.57).

Since Russia invaded its neighbor, the oil market has rapidly been changing, in large part due to the sanctions President Biden and other U.S. world allies have placed on Russia. Russia is the world's second-largest producer of oil, and curtailing its availability - mixed in with an increasing demand will likely continue to drive up oil prices.

"Surging oil prices have put upward pressure on Michigan pump prices pushing them to the highest prices since September 2014," Adrienne Woodland, spokeswoman for AAA-The Auto Club Group, told The Detroit News in a statement. "If crude prices continue to climb, pump prices will likely follow suit."