Gas Hits Below 2 Dollars at Select Pumps in Missoula – Holiday Travelers Save Big

As you drive by the Holiday gas station at the intersection of Reserve St. and South Ave., you may notice a pleasant surprise on the Holiday station sign.

Gas prices have fallen below $2 per gallon!

"It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…in 2008!" Senior Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHaan said. "The extra savings and cheer will certainly spread as we close out the year. There has not been a better time in years for motorists to extend their trips and travel farther, as sub-$2 per gallon gas can be found at almost 70% of stations in the country."

In 2011, the national average reached a high of $3.23 per gallon, but that's not the same story this year, DeHaan said, or even higher in 2013 by three cents at $3.26.

"It wasn't that long ago when motorists were paying well over $3 per gallon during the winter months, a far cry from today's national average of $2.01, which has risen after hitting $1.99," DeHaan said. "Gas prices during the holidays haven't been this cheap since 2008, when few Americans noticed the low prices amidst the Great Recession."

According to the annual GasBuddy holiday travel survey, 88 percent of those heading out of town will be doing so by car, with 66 percent driving at least 200 miles round trip.