Where are the cheapest gas prices in Utah? Depends on the day

With hundreds of Utahns hitting the roads this week for holiday travel, many will be asking the same question: Where's the cheapest gas?

After five months of monitoring prices around the state, it seems the answer to that question changes every day.

However, trends show Costco, Sam's Club, Smith's, Maverik, Pilot and Flying J are frequently the outlets that have the lowest gasoline prices.

These low-price leaders sell gasoline anywhere from 30 to 50 cents less than the highest of prices in the state.

Less frequently, some 7-Eleven stores and Holiday Oil sell the cheapest gas.

"Competition is a major force in determining prices," said Lee Peacock, president of the Utah Petroleum Association. "It really is a competitive business despite the perceptions. Stations compete fiercely."

Peacock stressed that so much depends on an individual gas retailer's circumstances as to how much it charges.

For example, he said outlying, more isolated areas of Utah — like St. George and Cedar City — will get their gas from different sources depending on the market. It may come from Salt Lake City at times and California at others.

"The best thing to do is to always shop around," said Rolayne Fairclough, spokeswoman for AAA Utah. "Don't assume."

Fairclough advises consumers to find out the going rate for gasoline. Then, factor into the equation whether any extra travel time and driving distance are worth the lower price.

Fairclough stressed that stations closest to freeways and some tourist attractions generally have higher prices than those elsewhere.

According to the Deseret News' informal survey, Chevron, Texaco, Shell, Phillips 66 and Sinclair generally tend to have the highest prices. That being said, there are always exceptions.

Countywise, Salt Lake, Davis and Weber counties usually have the cheapest gas. As far as cities go, it's Salt Lake City, Riverdale, Layton, Farr West, Ogden, Murray, West Jordan, South Jordan, Bountiful and West Bountiful that tend to have the lowest prices, but which one depends on the day.

Strangely, some cities, including Clearfield, Kaysville or Provo, never seem to have the lowest of gasoline prices.

Southern Utah almost always has the highest gasoline prices in the state. St. George on most days will have Utah's highest gasoline prices. Cedar City, Delta, Duchesne, Blanding and Moab also tend to have high prices.

Of course, there's no need to travel around the state to find the cheapest prices. Simply go to aaa.com, enter your ZIP code to view the lowest gas prices in real time.

SOURCES: www.csaa.com, gasprices.mapquest.com, Gasbuddy.com and personal observation.

e-mail: lynn@desnews.com