5 Fuel Costs Ohioans Are Paying Way More for Than Last Fall, Led by Diesel

You don’t need us to tell you that filling your tank this fall results in a bigger bill than it did a year ago.

But some fuels have climbed faster than others for Ohioans.

Here’s how they compare, from the biggest jump to the smallest.

1. Diesel

Diesel’s Ohio average reached $6.4289 a gallon on Oct. 4, 2026, according to AAA.

A year earlier, that same average was $3.6570.

That’s a 75.8% rise, the biggest percentage gain of any fuel in this article.

AAA’s averages come from daily surveys of up to 120,000 gas stations nationwide, and the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) supplies the data.

A month earlier, diesel averaged $5.8514, so it rose about 58 cents in a month while regular barely moved.

If you fill a 30-gallon diesel tank, you pay $192.87 now, compared with $109.71 a year earlier.

That’s $83 more every time.

2. Heating Oil

Heating oil is a fuel cost that rose about 49% across the Midwest, second only to diesel among the fuels in this article.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) put #2 fuel oil, the home heating oil it prices, at $4.941 a gallon in August 2026, up from $3.314 in August 2025.

Ohio is part of that region, so the figure covers Ohio households that fill an oil tank.

This is a monthly Midwest average, so it won’t match what one Ohio supplier charges you this week.

If you order 100 gallons, you pay $494.10, compared with $331.40 a year earlier.

That’s $162.70 more.

3. Regular Gasoline

How much more is regular gasoline costing you than last fall?

That’s about a dollar.

In Ohio, AAA’s average was $3.9728 a gallon on Oct. 4, 2026, up from $3.0141 a year earlier.

That’s a 31.8% rise, or about 96 cents a gallon.

A month earlier, regular averaged $3.9425, about 3 cents less than now.

If your car takes 15 gallons, a fill-up runs $59.59 now, compared with $45.21 a year earlier, about $14 more.

4. Mid-Grade Gasoline

Mid-grade is the fuel in the middle of AAA's Ohio table, and it averaged $4.4927 a gallon on Oct. 4, 2026.

A year ago, mid-grade averaged $3.5651.

That's a 26.0% rise.

If you buy mid-grade, you pay about 52 cents more than regular, a little under the 55-cent step of a year earlier.

So stepping up a grade got slightly cheaper even as the price of every grade rose.

Fill 15 gallons, and you pay $67.39 now, compared with $53.48 a year earlier.

Same grade, higher bill.

5. Premium Gasoline

Premium gasoline is the priciest fuel after diesel, averaging $5.0437 a gallon on Oct. 4, 2026.

A year earlier, premium averaged $4.0713.

That's a 23.9% rise, the smallest of the five fuels.

That's still about 97 cents a gallon.

Premium costs about $1.07 more than regular, almost the same $1.06 gap as a year earlier.

If you fill 15 gallons, you pay $75.66 now, compared with $61.07 a year earlier, a difference of $14.59.

That adds up.

The Motor Fuel Tax Holiday

Ohio's motor fuel tax holiday lowers the state tax on gasoline from 38.5 cents a gallon to $0.0001 through Jan. 2, 2027.

Diesel's state tax falls from 47 cents a gallon to the same $0.0001.

The state calls it a 90-day break.

Gov. Mike DeWine signed the emergency legislation behind it, and the holiday began Oct. 4, 2026.

If you filled up that day, the full cut may not show up in the AAA figures above yet.

Savings at the Pump

The Ohio Society of CPAs says the fuel tax holiday is funded with $725 million from the state's General Revenue Fund.

The law includes provisions meant to pass the savings on to you at the pump.

It also gives retailers flexibility in implementing the suspension.

Diesel's Gap Over Regular

Diesel cost $2.4561 a gallon more than regular on AAA's Ohio table on Oct. 4, 2026.

A year earlier, the gap was $0.6429.

It nearly quadrupled.

A month earlier, the gap was $1.9089, so the spread widened even as regular held near $4.

If you fill 30 gallons of diesel instead of regular, that spread alone adds about $74, up from about $19 a year earlier.

Midwest Numbers, Same Ranking

If you want a second check on the ranking, BLS's Midwest table measures every fuel in this article the same way, in the same month.

From August 2025 to August 2026, Midwest diesel rose from $3.553 to $5.353, a 50.7% gain.

Heating oil rose 49.1%, regular 29.1%, mid-grade 26.5% and premium 24.3%.

The order doesn't change.

You shouldn't expect Midwest averages, which include other states besides Ohio, to match Ohio's AAA numbers exactly.

Last Week's Price Slide

Fuel costs in Ohio were already easing before the holiday began, and you can see it in AAA's week-ago column.

If you filled up a week before Oct. 4, regular averaged $4.3355, so you paid about 36 cents more a gallon.

Premium dropped about 37 cents over the same stretch, from $5.4153 to $5.0437.

Diesel followed.