(WXYZ) — Gas prices are continuing to set records in metro Detroit, and that has people searching for the lowest price possible. But, have you ever filled up your tank, only to drive down the road and find you missed out on a deal?
It's certainly a frustrating experience we've all been through, especially with how high prices are. So, I did some digging to find out why prices change so much from one side of town to the other.
I found there are multiple reasons the prices are different, but drivers I spoke to seem to know where the cheaper prices are.
“I live on Ford Road, and I know this gas station was cheap," Moussa Balhas from Dearborn said.
The BP Gas Station in Dearborn on Greenfield and Michigan was packed when I stopped by, with drivers hoping to save a few dollars.
“I know they gas always cheap than everybody else back there in Detroit, they got the cheapest gas," Gloria Bery from Detroit said.
She said sometimes she goes out of the way to go to the gas station and save money.
Patrick De Haan, from GasBuddy, said a lot of the reason prices can be different has to do with the mindset of the gas station owner.
“You could be the lone station on a highway and it could be a station that knows and charges more," De Haan said. "Or it could be a pilot station that is a travel stop and they are trying to get you into their doors with a low price."
Location is another factor.
“You could be by an airport and you are the only station, so you charge more because you might be near the airport," he said. "Or you may be downtown so the cost of doing business is much higher, and the labor cost, and the costs of things like property taxes.”
Of course, don't forget about competition. De Haan said sometimes, competition isn't a lightning fast process, so it may take a few minutes to either lower the price or increase the price to match or beat the competition.
It also depends on the wholesale costs, the price gas stations have bought the fuel for.
“Oil prices have been pretty violently moving up and down, one station may have gotten lucky and bought at a much lower price than another," De Haan said.
No matter where you fill up, drivers are hoping for relief sooner rather than later. In the meantime, people are biting the bullet and filling up.
Because so much can change on a daily basis, De Haan said your best bet is to take a few minutes to find the best gas prices in your community.
