Feeling pain at the pump lately? I certainly am. With war in Iran affecting oil supplies, gas prices are on the rise again. After declining over the past year, the price we pay to fuel our cars has now risen more than $1 per gallon in the US, reaching on average around $4 a gallon. In states like California, the cost has creeped up to almost $6 per gallon in certain areas.
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Though I can’t do much about the international crisis, I can control how much I shell out to refuel my car. And one way I do that is through a mobile app. Several apps for iOS and Android will show me a list of nearby gas stations and reveal the current cost. I also can turn to navigation apps like Google Maps and Waze to check local gas prices.
Here’s a look at several such apps and how they work.
Free for iOS and Android, GasBuddy is simple to use. Just fire up the app and tap the button to find gas. The first time you do this, you’ll have to give the app permission to view your location. You can also tell it what type of gas you need — regular, premium, diesel, etc. In response, a list of nearby gas stations pops up. Each entry displays the name and address of the station, the number of stars it gets based on user ratings, and the price per gallon.
You can sort the list by price or distance, change the grade of gas you want, and see prices for credit-only or credit and cash. Tap the name of a specific station, and you can get directions to any station, which are then routed to Apple Maps on an iPhone or Google Maps on an Android device.
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And there’s more. If you become a GasBuddy member, you can collect rewards and save money on future visits to the pump. A standard membership is free, while a premium plan with higher savings costs $10 a month. To cash in on the discount, you also have to link your bank account to collect the rewards and use a GasBuddy credit card to pay for gas.
I’m always wary of linking my financial information to third-party apps, so I use GasBuddy just to check out local gas prices. And here, the app is quick and easy to use. But GasBuddy also has its own website where I can check prices across the US and calculate the cost of a trip.
Another free app for iOS and Android, WEX Connect will also find and display nearby gas stations, showing you the name, address, and price per gallon. You can sort the list based on price or distance and filter it by distance, brand, and grade of gas. Selecting a specific station displays a map and a button to get directions through Apple Maps on iOS or Google Maps on Android.
But WEX Connect goes a few steps further. You’re able to use it to find nearby service stations and car washes. And those of you with electric vehicles can track down charging stations in the area. This one is easy to use and gets bonus points for these added features.
Free but available only for iOS, FuelUp is also simple to use. Just launch the app and give it permission to see your location. A list of nearby stations appears with names, addresses, and gas prices. You can then filter the list by distance, price, and type of gas. Select a specific station to view the prices for all grades of gas. A small map shows you the location. Tapping the Navigate button opens the directions in Apple Maps.
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Though the basic app is free and works fine for tracking down nearby gas stations, a Pro version is available for $10 a year. The paid subscription lets you check gas prices in other locations, view a history of gas prices, add widgets to your iPhone and Apple Watch, and discover how much you’d pay in total to fill your tank.
If you gas up a lot and like the extra perks, $10 a year doesn’t sound too onerous to me. For now, I just use the app for free and find it a handy option.
You don’t necessarily need a separate app to find the lowest gas prices, not when Google Maps can handle that task. With Google Maps on your Android phone or iPhone, just head to the main screen and tap Gas among the shortcut entries at the top. A list pops up with the names, addresses, and gas prices for nearby stations. Each entry also displays a rating in stars so you can quickly tell whether a particular station is worth your business.
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Even better, tapping a specific station takes you to a dedicated screen where you’ll find the prices for different grades of gas, the hours of operation, an overall description, and any user reviews. Since you’re already in Google Maps, simply tap the Directions button to see the turn-by-turn lowdown on how to get there.
If you often fire up Wave for navigation, you can also use the app to find nearby gas stations. Open Waze on your iPhone or Android device and tap the Where to field. Shortcuts for specific types of locations appear at the top. Tap the one for Gas. The next screen shows you the names, addresses, distance, ratings, and prices for the closest stations. You can then sort and filter the list by price, distance, preferred brand, gas type, and other criteria.
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Tap the entry for a station to learn more about it. The screen displays all key details, including hours of operation, on-site services, and prices for different grades of gas. Tap the View routes button to get directions directly in Waze.
Final verdict
Which app would I recommend? In my experience, they’re all accurate and easy to use, so there’s no clear winner. If you already rely on Google Maps or Waze for directions, then using either one to find local gas stations is your best bet. But if you use a different navigation app such as Apple Maps (which will locate nearby stations but doesn’t reveal the price), then I would steer you to GasBuddy as it’s quick, convenient, and simple.
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