This week's gallon
US diesel surged to a record 6.31 dollars a gallon this week. The US Energy Information Administration forecasts diesel will average 5.07 dollars a gallon in 2026.[1]
Hong Kong diesel is 4.695 dollars a litre. 16 of the 20 dearest countries are in Europe. The International Energy Agency (IEA) put US and Europe diesel above 220 dollars a barrel, about 95 per cent above pre-war levels.[1]
When stocks draw, who pays at the pump
The IEA's September 2026 page said Atlantic Basin refining margins reached records in August, led by sharply higher diesel cracks. Observed global oil inventories plunged another 95 million barrels; cumulative draws since February reached 507 million barrels, about 2.8 million barrels a day.[2]
EIA expects domestic distillate to fall below 100 million barrels in September. Barclays wrote that Gulf and Russian refinery supply has been cut, leaving the United States a supplier of distilled products and draining domestic stocks. Saxo Bank's Ole Hansen said high diesel feeds into transport costs and consumer prices.[1]
The yearly mean does not carry this week's bill
A 2026 average of 5.07 dollars a gallon and a weekly high of 6.31 dollars do not describe the same household. Diesel booked as a transport cost lands on the trucker and the grocery ticket together; which income band pays more is not in these two texts.[1], [2]