Iowa Gas Tax
Iowa’s state taxes and fees on gasoline total 30.0¢ a gallon, tied for the 23rd-lowest of 51; with the 18.4¢ federal tax, drivers pay 48.4¢ a gallon in combined tax. Rates are from U.S. Energy Information Administration data as of July 2026.
What makes up Iowa’s 48.4¢
| Iowa state excise tax | 30.0¢ |
|---|---|
| Other Iowa taxes & fees sales/use taxes, inspection and environmental fees | — |
| Total Iowa state tax | 30.0¢ |
| Federal excise + LUST fee 18.3¢ excise + 0.1¢ LUST, unchanged since 1993 | 18.4¢ |
| Combined state + federal | 48.4¢ |
Environmental Protection Charge (EPC): Repealed as of December 31, 2016 ($0.0100/gal on petroleum products). Ethanol Blended Gasoline E-15 or Higher is a new fuel group effective July 1, 2020. Diesel includes biodiesel B-19 and lower as of July 1, 2024.
Iowa's tax: rates tied to ethanol blending
Iowa’s gasoline rates depend on how much ethanol is sold. The state sets separate per-gallon rates for ordinary gasoline, including E10, and for gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol or more. The EIA figure, 30.0¢, is the rate on ordinary gasoline. Fuel is exempt from the state sales tax, and the one-cent environmental protection charge was repealed at the end of 2016.
The last general increase came in 2015, when the legislature raised the tax by 10¢ a gallon. Since a 2020 law, the rates on each fuel class are set from a statutory schedule based on the share of ethanol-blended fuel sold statewide in the prior year. After that share rose from 19.4 to 28.8 percent in 2025, the rate on E15 and higher blends rose from 26.5¢ to 28¢ on July 1, 2026, while the rate on other gasoline stayed the same.
Iowa’s total state tax of 30.0¢ a gallon is tied for the 23rd-lowest of the 50 states and D.C., against a 51-jurisdiction average of 33.8¢.
How the tax fits with fuel supply and price history is covered on the Iowa gas prices page.
Sources: current rates and rankings are from the EIA motor fuel tax table in our database; other facts are from the sources listed here.
Iowa's Gas Tax Beside Its Six Neighbors
In the EIA's July 2026 table, Iowa's 30.0¢ matches the state totals of South Dakota and Missouri, so the gap with each is 0.0¢. Minnesota lists 32.7¢ (EIA table, July 2026) and Nebraska lists 32.7¢, and Iowa's total is 2.7¢ below Minnesota's and 2.7¢ below Nebraska's. Wisconsin lists 32.9¢ (EIA table, July 2026), which leaves Iowa 2.9¢ below Wisconsin. Among the 6 bordering states, 4 (EIA table, July 2026) of 6 have a higher state total than Iowa.
Illinois, the bordering state with the highest total, lists 71.7¢ in the same July 2026 table, and Iowa's total is 41.7¢ below Illinois's. Missouri is the bordering state with the lowest total, at 30.0¢ (EIA table, July 2026).
Iowa's 30.0¢ is all excise: the EIA's July 2026 table puts other state taxes and fees on gasoline at 0.0¢, and excise is 100% of the state total. County and local taxes are excluded from that 30.0¢ (EIA table, July 2026). Measured against the combined state and federal total, Iowa's part is 62% (EIA table, July 2026).
The table's state totals run from 9.0¢ (EIA table, July 2026) in Alaska to 73.6¢ in California. Counting outward from Iowa's 30.0¢ (EIA table, July 2026), 27 jurisdictions list a higher state total and 22 list a lower one.
How much of a gallon in Iowa is tax
Iowa gasoline is estimated at $4.05 a gallon. Against that, the 48.4¢ of combined state and federal tax is about 11.9% of what a driver pays — with local taxes, where they apply, on top.
Tax rate from EIA as of July 2026; pump price is this week’s US Gas Gauge estimate from EIA regional prices (EIA publishes no weekly average for Iowa).
Iowa vs. the other 50 states
Iowa’s state gas tax of 30.0¢ is 3.8¢ below the 33.8¢ average across 50 states and D.C. — it is tied for the 23rd-lowest.
Neighboring states' gas tax
| State | State tax | vs. Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois gas tax | 71.7¢ | +41.7¢ |
| Wisconsin gas tax | 32.9¢ | +2.9¢ |
| Minnesota gas tax | 32.7¢ | +2.7¢ |
| Nebraska gas tax | 32.7¢ | +2.7¢ |
| South Dakota gas tax | 30.0¢ | 0.0¢ |
| Missouri gas tax | 30.0¢ | 0.0¢ |
Iowa gas tax, answered
- What is the gas tax in Iowa?
- 30.0¢ a gallon in state taxes and fees; with the 18.4¢ federal tax, 48.4¢ (EIA, July 2026).
- How does Iowa's gas tax compare to other states?
- Tied for the 23rd-lowest of the 50 states and D.C.; the average is 33.8¢.
- What is the federal gas tax in Iowa?
- The federal gasoline tax is 18.4¢ per gallon in Iowa, the same as in every other state.
- Does Iowa charge local gas taxes too?
- EIA does not flag Iowa as allowing local option taxes.
Related to Iowa gas tax
EIA, “Federal and state motor fuels taxes” (July 2026 (revised August 2026)); how these figures are built.
More Iowa data
Use this data
Download: Gas tax by state, federal + state rates (CSV).
Column definitions, coverage and every file: gas price data. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with credit.
Cite as: US Gas Gauge, “Iowa Gas Tax,” usgasgauge.com/gas-tax/iowa. Source data: U.S. Energy Information Administration.