Updated July 28, 2026 - AAA daily average
Diesel Cost per Gallon in North Carolina (2026)
$5.28/GAL
+0.15 vs US average ($5.13)Rank #29 of 50 statesPADD 1
Diesel Tax Breakdown
Federal diesel excise tax24.4c/gal
North Carolina state diesel tax40.5c/gal
Total tax64.9c/gal
Tax as % of price12%
Sources: Federation of Tax Administrators, EIA. Rates as of April 2026.
Nearby States Comparison
Why Diesel Costs $5.28/Gal in North Carolina
North Carolina sits on the I-95 freight corridor, one of the highest-volume truck routes in the US. North Carolina diesel at $5.28/gal reflects a 40.5-cent state tax and PADD 1 (East Coast) regional pricing. Charlotte and Greensboro are major freight distribution centers. NC relies on Colonial Pipeline from the Gulf Coast plus local refinery distribution from the Philadelphia/NJ refinery complex. The I-85 corridor between Charlotte and Durham is one of the most-traveled diesel routes in the Southeast.
CALCULATE YOUR FUEL COST IN NORTH CAROLINA
Use our trip calculator prefilled at $5.28/gal for North Carolina.
Sources: State diesel average from AAA Gas Prices (gasprices.aaa.com), July 28, 2026; US average and PADD context from the EIA Weekly On-Highway Diesel Fuel Survey (July 20, 2026); state tax from the Federation of Tax Administrators diesel tax table. State prices are representative averages; actual pump prices vary by retailer and location.