Diesel prices in Rhode Island
$6.52 a gallon this week — 31.5¢ up on last week. That is the New England average from the EIA's weekly survey, published for the week of 21 September 2026.
Where this number comes from
The EIA does not publish a Rhode Island-only diesel average. It publishes a national figure, nine regional ones and California. Rhode Island is in the New England region, and that regional average is the official published number covering the state. It is a retail average including taxes, surveyed every Monday and published on Tuesday.
That means a station in Rhode Island and one several hundred miles away in the same region share a published figure, while a state line that is also a region boundary can show a real step in price. Both effects matter when you are choosing where to fill.
Where it was a year ago
The New England average was $3.96 in the week of 2025-09-29. It is $6.52 now — $2.56 more a gallon, or $383 on every 150-gallon fill.
What it costs to run
At $6.52 a gallon, by fuel economy:
| MPG | Per mile | 500-mile run | Per 100,000 miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 mpg | 118.5¢ | $592.45 | $118,491 |
| 6.0 mpg | 108.6¢ | $543.08 | $108,617 |
| 6.5 mpg | 100.3¢ | $501.31 | $100,262 |
| 7.0 mpg | 93.1¢ | $465.50 | $93,100 |
| 7.5 mpg | 86.9¢ | $434.47 | $86,893 |
The spread between 5.5 and 7.5 mpg is 31.6¢ a mile — worth more over a year than almost any fuel-buying strategy. What moves the number is here.
Against the states next door
Neighbours inside the same EIA region carry the same published average, so the differences below are region boundaries showing up on a map — which is exactly where a fuel stop is worth planning.
| State | EIA region | Per gallon | vs Rhode Island |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | New England | $6.52 | — |
| Massachusetts | New England | $6.52 | — |
No state bordering Rhode Island is in a cheaper EIA region this week.
Price this into an actual load
An average is a planning figure, not a trip cost. The calculator takes a real lane, your truck's mpg and the regions the route actually crosses, and works out the fuel against the rate you were offered — with the empty miles, the tolls and the lumper in the same number.
For where to buy it, the Rhode Island truck stop directory lists every mapped stop in the state by town.
Questions
What is the diesel price in Rhode Island today?
$6.52 a gallon, from the U.S. Energy Information Administration's weekly retail on-highway survey for the week of 21 September 2026. It is the New England regional average, which is the published figure covering Rhode Island.
Does the EIA publish a Rhode Island-only diesel price?
No. The EIA publishes a national average, nine regional averages and California. Rhode Island sits in the New England region, so the New England figure is the official published number that covers it. Anyone quoting a precise Rhode Island-only weekly average is estimating it.
How often does this update?
Weekly. The EIA surveys on Monday and publishes on Tuesday afternoon, so the figure changes once a week. This page reads the latest figure every time it loads, rather than showing whatever was true when it was written.
Is this the price at the pump?
No. It is a retail average across the region, including taxes. An individual truck stop can be 30¢ either side of it, and cash, fuel-card and negotiated prices differ again. Use it for planning a trip's cost, not for predicting a specific pump.
What does a tank of diesel cost in Rhode Island?
About $977.55 for 150 gallons at this week's average — and a 500-mile run at 6.5 mpg burns roughly $501.31 of it.