Diesel prices keep climbing, and GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan thinks the national average could hit $7/gallon soon enough if recent trends hold.

Patrick De Haan Left Speechless By the Prices

In a post on X on Tuesday, De Haan expressed concern about rising diesel costs. He said he was "speechless" as the possibility of $7/gallon diesel was close to becoming a reality, especially in the Great Lakes region, covering states like Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois.

speechless. at this point, we're talking $7/gal diesel becoming a possibility in the days ahead in more places, specifically Great Lakes- MI, IN, OH, IL (less so WI- lower taxes) pic.twitter.com/h8xRAckYvr

— Patrick De Haan (@GasBuddyGuy) September 15, 2026

The Ukraine Angle

The analyst also pointed to how the Ukraine-Russia conflict is dictating prices. "Ukraine spent months tightening global supply even while prices held flat," De Haan said, referring to Kyiv's strikes on Russian oil.

"When Iran responded & shut the Strait there was no Middle East cushion left to absorb it," he added. The factors led to prices going higher during the peak summer demand time.

two things stacked. Ukraine spent months tightening global supply even while prices held flat, so when Iran responded & shut the Strait there was no Middle East cushion left to absorb it. that combo broke it higher at the same time demand peaks- in the summer. https://t.co/4SxU7pG5RI pic.twitter.com/eL5oFWeyTa

— Patrick De Haan (@GasBuddyGuy) September 15, 2026

Trump had earlier said that he had urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to halt attacks on Russian oil as diesel prices climbed higher. Trump said that the U.S. had urged Ukraine to strike other targets, but leave oil infrastructure in place due to its importance for the global crude oil supply.

Fuel Costs Reach New Milestone

De Haan also predicted that fuel costs reached a "new milestone" as the national average price of diesel "hit $6.301/gal while gasoline is up to $4.355/gal." He added that the prices could "jump noticeably over the next 48 hours," warning that diesel may "hit $6.60/gal in a few days, surpassing the inflation-adjusted peak seen in 2022."

we've reached a new milestone- the U.S. average diesel price has hit $6.301/gal while gasoline is up to $4.355/gal. I expect both of these to jump noticeably over the next 48 hours. diesel could hit $6.60/gal in a few days, surpassing the inflation-adjusted peak seen in 2022. pic.twitter.com/WvhSM4YaHM

— Patrick De Haan (@GasBuddyGuy) September 16, 2026

According to data from the American Automobile Association (AAA), the average price of gas on Tuesday was $4.3289/gallon, while diesel was at $6.2694/gallon. In California, gas exceeded $6/gallon, at $6.0175, while diesel prices exceeded $8, at $8.2124/gallon.