Gas prices in Canada have been climbing sharply for the reason that Iran war began, but how much higher they may go is unclear as consumers struggle with the upper cost of living.
Canada’s national average for normal gas is sitting slightly below $1.70 a litre as of publication, in response to CAA, and a month earlier it was closer to $1.28.
For a median passenger vehicle, which may mean paying roughly $20 to $25 more to replenish each time.
Some regions are paying rather more than the national average for normal gas, with British Columbia paying among the highest prices, while Alberta pays among the lowest in Canada.
GasBuddy states what individual provinces and territories are paying on average for normal grade gas as of publication:
- Alberta – $1.582
- Saskatchewan – $1.585
- Manitoba – $161.4
- Latest Brunswick – $1.653
- Ontario – $1.66
- Nova Scotia – $1.70
- Newfoundland – $1.78
- Quebec – $1.794
- Prince Edward Island – $1.807
- Northwest Territories – $1.848
- British Columbia – $1.923
Concerns about global oil supplies as a result of the Iran war have been one in every of the foremost aspects driving prices up at gas pumps everywhere in the world.
“For the majority of Canada during the last week, 85 per cent of the explanation remains to be what’s happening between Iran and america and the escalations within the Middle East,” says Patrick De Haan, a petroleum analyst at GasBuddy.
“We even have a seasonal element that can proceed to ramp up for an additional 4 to eight weeks and be impactful as well. But the first of this stays the identical — that’s escalations within the Middle East which have continued to essentially block the Strait of Hormuz and impacting oil supply in a serious way, driving up gas prices.”
Why gas prices are rising a lot
Prices for fuel paid by consumers are determined by several aspects, but especially the value of raw crude oil, which has been hovering around US$100 a barrel as of publication and for the reason that first strikes on Iran by the U.S. and Israel at the tip of February.
In the times before, oil was closer to US$64.
Get day by day National news
Get day by day Canada news delivered to your inbox so you will never miss the day’s top stories.
Oil prices are determined mostly based on expectations for demand relative to the worldwide supply, and the conflict has led to higher oil prices because oil markets anticipate supply might be constrained consequently.
Within the Persian Gulf region, the Strait of Hormuz normally sees about 20 per cent of the world’s oil, but has been effectively blocked for the reason that conflict began after Iran threatened to attack any oil tankers allied with the U.S. or Israel that attempt to go through the narrow choke point.
That is putting the worldwide oil supply in jeopardy.
Seasonal aspects can even make gas dearer, and De Haan says there are often three aspects at play from February to late April yearly that send prices up.
“Refinery maintenance, which limits how much gasoline might be produced at the moment of yr. That maintenance is a crucial evil before the summer driving season, when refineries are principally operating 24-7 at 100 per cent capability,” he says.
“Demand for gasoline goes up as temperatures warm up and Canadians begin travelling more. That seasonality goes to slowly proceed to be more impactful over the weeks ahead.”
These seasonal aspects, De Haan says, typically cause gas prices to rise a median of 5 to fifteen cents a litre. Still, he says the overwhelming majority of the value increases Canadians are seeing right away are due to what’s happening within the Middle East.
Shopping around for one of the best price could help consumers find small improvements, but De Haan says adjusting routines and driving habits is one of the best approach to save.
“Whether that’s reducing your rate of acceleration, making your automobile work less hard, attempt to avoid any red lines or hard acceleration, decelerate on the highway by five or 10 kilometres an hour — even those small differences can add as much as significant savings,” he says.
“The secret here is attempting to be as fuel-efficient as possible. The more kilometres you’ll be able to get [out of the fuel purchased], the more you’re essentially reducing your price on the pump.”
And what wouldn’t it take to start out moving prices down?
“If demand does start to return down enough to raised match that 80 million barrels a day that’s being supplied, that’s where oil prices will eventually stall out,” De Haan says.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.