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On March 13, 2026, Brent crude briefly traded above $100 per barrel, while AAA’s national average for regular gasoline stood at $3.63 per gallon—65 cents above its February 26 average of $2.98. These were dated snapshots of two different markets, not a current oil quote and not a prediction of what any driver will pay.
What the headline’s numbers mean
| Figure | What it measures | Date and source |
|---|---|---|
| Above $100 per barrel | Intraday Brent crude benchmark price; Forbes reported it later fell to about $99 around 8:45 a.m. ET. | Morning of March 13, 2026; Forbes |
| $3.63 per gallon | AAA national average for regular gasoline. | March 13, 2026; reported by Forbes, attributed to AAA |
| $2.98 per gallon | AAA national average for regular gasoline, used as the comparison baseline. | February 26, 2026; AAA |
| $3.98 per gallon | AAA national average for regular gasoline at a later point; it is not the March 13 figure. | March 26, 2026; AAA |
The 65-cent increase is the difference between the national regular-gasoline averages on February 26 and March 13. The Brent figure is an upstream crude benchmark, observed intraday. It is not the price of gasoline, and the two numbers should not be treated as directly comparable.
AAA’s national average is not a quote for a particular station or city. Local prices can differ, so drivers checking their likely cost should use a local price listing rather than assume the national average applies to them.
Why oil prices rose during the period
The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s April 2026 retrospective says oil prices rose sharply after military action in the Middle East on February 28 and the subsequent de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The EIA describes most shipping traffic stopping amid the risk of attacks on vessels, while several regional producers shut in production. It says Brent surpassed $100 per barrel on March 12; Forbes reported another move above that threshold the following morning before the price eased.
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The Strait is a major oil transit route. EIA estimates that an average of 20 million barrels per day—about 20% of global petroleum-liquids consumption—flowed through it in 2024. The EIA also notes there are few alternative routes for moving oil out of the Persian Gulf, which makes a disruption there consequential for supply expectations.
Those events provide important market context for the oil-price increase. They do not, by themselves, establish that one event or factor caused the exact 65-cent change in the national pump-price average.
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How crude-oil pressure reaches the gas pump
Crude oil is an input to gasoline production, so a higher crude benchmark can contribute to higher fuel costs. But Brent’s intraday price and AAA’s national retail average describe separate points in the energy market, with different products and time bases. The March 13 crude observation does not specify what a station paid for fuel or when that cost was reflected in its posted price.
For personal budgeting, the practical signal is the retail figure closest to the expense: a local pump price. The national average can provide context, but it cannot tell an individual driver how much their own fill-up will cost.
Quick Recap
How to read a dated price headline
- Check the date. The figures above describe February and March 2026, not prices today.
- Check the product. Brent crude is not regular gasoline sold at retail.
- Check the geography. AAA’s figure is a national average, not a local station price.
- Check the comparison period. The 65-cent change compares February 26 with March 13; the March 26 average is a separate, later observation.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
