This seems pretty obvious but in most cases when it comes to gas this logical behavior is ignored. If you were buying a computer you would look for the store with the best price. It seems that most of us were trained to consider gas differently. You invariably buy gas where it is easy regardless of price. The gas station in closest proximity to where you live is the most common place for most drivers fill up regardless of price.



When you think you might run out of gas or when your gauge shows your tank is low, filling up at the very first station you find is usually the only choice. This station will not usually have the best gas prices. Just one more instance where you may be spending more on fuel than you need to.

One of the best ways to find a gas station that has the lowest prices is to search online. There are a number of sites that provide information on local gas prices. Here are a few:

GasBuddy.com

Automotive.com

FuelMeUp.com

Finding low prices online is a good idea because you can shop for the best price without driving. In other words, you can find the best gas prices without burning gas to do it.

The American Automobile Association has done cost studies on operating cars. These studies have determined that it costs about 51.7 cents per mile to operate your car. Based on that 51.7 cent number every three miles you drive searching for low gas prices will cost you $1.50.

If you need to fill your car with 15 gallons of gas you have to realize a savings of about 10 cents for every three miles you drive. If you can locate the best prices for gasoline without driving to find it, you will gain 10 cents per gallon for every three miles in travel you have eliminated.

This is also important to keep in mind when you find the best prices online. If the best prices are 6 miles away from your closest station, you would have to beat the price of the closest station by 20 cents to break even.

The best way to take advantage of the online pricing information you have gathered is to make sure you use it in conjunction with planning your driving activities. For example: if you always pick up your dry cleaning on Tuesday and your information shows one of the lowest priced gas stations is near the cleaners, you should plan in advance to purchase your gas at that station in conjunction with picking up your cleaning. That way you are taking advantage of the low price without any extra driving.

The internet is a great resource in your quest to lower your gas costs. If you can utilize the information garnered online along with proper planning of where and when you will fill up, then you should start to see considerable savings.