COVID-19 lockdowns pushed fuel demand down 62 percent in one month, but the slow reopens in several states are resulting in a rebound.
Data from GasBuddy showed single-day gas gallons purchased down 62 percent on April 12 from the 2020 peak that was seen on March 13.
Demand in the last week of April was up 22 percent from the lowest overall week of demand in 2020 that was experienced April 5-11.
The data is based on fuel transactions from Pay with GasBuddy, the first-of-its-kind fuel savings program that gives drivers a discount on virtually every gallon of gas they will ever pump, used by more than 750,000 Americans.
“Fuel demand is a significant economic indicator,” says Sarah McCrary, CEO of GasBuddy. “While April fuel demand was down compared to March, we saw consecutive weekly increases in gallons purchased and the number of active cardholders as the month progressed. We will continue to watch Pay with GasBuddy transactional data in the months ahead as states continue to reopen and the summer months begin.”
The year-over-year drop in fuel demand equates to an average purchase of 50 gallons per driver in April 2019 and 39 gallons per driver in April 2020.
Fuel demand typically increases throughout the months of March and April as more drivers hit the road with the warmer weather. Year-over-year benchmarked fuel demand* shows that COVID-19 influenced a peak drop of 41% the week of March 29 compared to the same week last year. Even as April fuel demand was down significantly compared to pre-coronavirus levels, gallons purchased in the last three weeks of the month saw benchmarked demand inch closer towards 2019’s seasonal rise, down only 31% from last year.
Select states that reopened saw even greater increases in gallons purchased than at the national level. The week of April 12 saw nominal demand percent increases ranging from 12-19% across Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia, paving the way for higher fuel demand for the remainder of the month.
As states continue to reopen, employees return to work, and some travelers even embark on summer road trips, demand could continue to see a steady increase throughout the summer.
“The increase in fuel demand will heavily rely on how quickly additional states reopen,” says Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “Given that gas prices will continue to be affordable, we could continue to see weekly single digit increases throughout the month of May, with a significant increase possible if the situation improves more rapidly.”
According to GasBuddy’s recently released 2020 Summer Travel Study, 18 percent of Americans are not planning on taking a road trip this summer, while 51 percent remain undecided and 31 percent are taking at least one road trip.
For more information, visit www.gasbuddy.com.
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Chris Graham
