Here’s how much it cost to fill up your car in SLO County in 2016 vs. now
We’re getting to sound like a broken record around here, but San Luis Obispo County gas prices have once again reached sky-high levels.
On Friday, the price of a gallon of regular gas in San Luis Obispo County reached $4.82, according to website GasBuddy.com — breaking the record for the highest prices in the past five years, though it’s likely an all-time record as well (data going further back than 2016 was not immediately available from GasBuddy).
Comparatively, way back in Dec. 3 of 2016, the average price of a gallon of gas was $2.89.
This means 2021 drivers in San Luis Obispo County are paying almost $2 more per gallon when they go to gas up.
To help illustrate what that looks like, here’s a comparison of how much it would cost to gas up some of San Luis Obispo County’s most popular cars in 2016 against that same vehicle in 2021 — exactly five years later.
Note: This does not take into account variations in the price of gas between stations, of course, so the true cost of gassing up these vehicles could be more or less depending on where the owner chooses fills up. This is all based on the local average.
Also, if your car is not on this list, you can calculate the difference between your 2016 gas receipt and now using this simple formula: Take your car’s fuel tank size (most smaller sedans are about 12 gallons, while larger cars range between 15 to upwards of 20 gallons) and multiply it by 2.89 (the Dec. 3, 2016, average cost per gallon) to get the rough estimate of how much it would have cost to fill up the car in 2016. To get the 2021 estimate, simply replace 2.89 with 4.82. Voila!
Nissan Rogue
Gas tank size: The 2016 Nissan Rogue has a regular fuel tank capacity of 14.5 gallons
December 2016 price to fill up: $42
December 2021 price to fill up: $70
To put that in context, Rogue drivers (assuming the same gas tank size) would pay just about $28 more when they have to fill up the entire tank now than they would have just five years ago.
That’s the cost of almost 10 McDonald’s hamburger Happy Meals, priced at $2.99 a piece.
Chevrolet Silverado
Gas tank size: The 2016 Chevrolet Silverado has a regular fuel tank capacity of 30 gallons.
December 2016 price to fill up: $87
December 2021 price to fill up: $145
That means SLO County drivers of Silverados (by far the biggest tanks on this list) pay just over $58 more in 2021 to fill up their tank than they would have back in 2016. That’s almost 11 grande Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks — enough to buy yourself and most of the office a morning fall-themed treat.
Further (not-so-fun) context: With the same amount they spend filling up their entire tank at a local gas station, a Chevy Silverado driver could instead purchase a one-day Disneyland ticket, and still have enough left over for a souvenir.
Honda Accord
Gas tank size: The 2016 Honda Accord has a regular fuel tank capacity of 17.2 gallons.
December 2016 price to fill up: $50
December 2021 price to fill up: $83
If you’re driving an Accord, it costs you just over $33 more to fill up in 2021 than it did in 2016. That’s roughly the price of three tickets to see a matinee at the Downtown Centre Cinemas in San Luis Obispo.
Ford F-150
Gas tank size: The 2016 Ford F-150 has a regular fuel tank capacity 23 gallons.
December 2016 price to fill up: $67
December 2021 price to fill up: $111
To put that in context, it costs just about $44 more for a Ford F-150 driver to fill up their tank now than it did five years ago.
That’s equivalent to roughly 22 bottles of the iconic “Two-Buck Chuck” from Trader Joe’s.
Toyota Prius
Gas tank size: The 2016 Toyota Prius has a regular fuel tank capacity 11.3 gallons.
December 2016 price to fill up: $32
December 2021 price to fill up: $54
Even a thrify Prius driver will pay roughly $22 more to fill up their tank at a local station today than they would have in 2016.
That’s 14 of those Costco hot-dog-and-soda combo meals at $1.50 apiece.
