Where to Find the Cheapest Gas in West Hollywood Right Now

Gas prices in West Hollywood have jumped. Have you noticed?

Prices at the pump are up this week. The cheapest regular gas we found in and around West Hollywood was $4.39 a gallon. The most expensive was $6.09. Both stations are within a mile of each other. That’s up nearly 40 cents from just a week ago at my local spot. 

We drove to seven stations (so you wouldn’t have to) Wednesday, around noon, to see what’s out there.

What We Found

We found the Shell on La Brea at Fountain having some of the most expensive prices, showing regular unleaded at $5.19. That’s on the eastside, and it seems to track with what the big oil brand-name stations have been charging. No surprise here.

The Shell on Santa Monica at 8020 is a different story. Regular unleaded there is $4.46 cash, $4.59 credit. V-Power tops out at $4.76 cash or $4.89 on a card. Speedway Express on Santa Monica had the lowest regular we could find: $4.39 cash. WeHo Fuels and G&M, mid-city on Santa Monica, were both showing $4.49 cash, $4.69 on a card.

Then there’s the Chevron on La Cienega at Holloway – the most expensive we came across. Self-serve regular is $5.19. Plus is $5.39. Supreme took the crown with $6.09 a gallon for both self and full serve.

Sunset Oil on Sunset at San Vicente came in a close 2nd (they’re always higher than most) with regular at $5.19, plus $5.39, and premium $5.69 a gallon.  The Mobil stations just outside our borders, one on Sunset at Fairfax the other Sunset at La Brea were $4.78 and $4.80 respectively for regular. Reasonable by comparison.

As most know by now, cash versus credit will net you another 10 to 20 cents of savings at most stations. Problem is, who carries cash? Do you?  In case you’re wondering, Tap-to-pay — Apple Pay, Google Pay — runs as a credit transaction at most pumps and won’t get you the cash price. A few of these stations may have a separate debit PIN price that splits the difference, cheaper than credit, but still not cash price.

Why it jumped this week

In case you haven’t heard, the U.S. and Israel are at war with Iran. That’s the short answer. Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz ground to a halt almost immediately. That waterway moves roughly 20% of the world’s daily oil supply. U.S. crude was up more than 7% by Monday. Brent crude gained 9%, close to $6 a barrel in one session.

California tends to feel pain at the pump harder than most when these kind of things happen. The state buys most of its crude from overseas. Gas taxes here are the highest in the country. The fuel blend California requires isn’t made anywhere else. Tighten global supply and California refineries feel it before anyone else does.

That’s the short answer. Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz ground to a halt almost immediately. That waterway moves roughly 20% of the world’s daily oil supply. U.S. crude was up more than 7% by Monday. Brent crude gained 9% — close to $6 a barrel in one session.

The LA County average hit $4.88 Thursday, its highest since November, after rising 26.1 cents over 14 of the last 15 days — the largest single stretch of increases since September 2023.

The Iran conflict also landed on top of seasonal pressure that was already building. AAA’s Kandace Redd noted that refineries are switching to the more expensive summer-blend fuel right now and spring break demand is picking up. Two things pushing the same direction at the same time.

Where things stood two weeks ago

The LA metro average through February was around $4.42 a gallon. That’s where we started. GasBuddy’s Matt McClain said prices could add another 10 to 30 cents through midweek and didn’t take $5-a-gallon Southern California off the table. A few analysts have mentioned $7-plus in California if oil climbs toward $90 or $100 a barrel and the fighting continues.

The mid-city stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard is your best bet for regular right now. Cash saves you real money at almost every station. Thirty seconds on GasBuddy before you pull in is worth it.