Kentucky Gas Tax
What Kentucky and the federal government charge per gallon of gasoline, from U.S. Energy Information Administration data as of July 2026.
What makes up Kentucky’s 44.8¢
| Kentucky state excise tax | 25.0¢ |
| Other Kentucky taxes & fees sales/use taxes, inspection and environmental fees | 1.4¢ |
| Total Kentucky state tax | 26.4¢ |
| Federal excise + LUST fee 18.3¢ excise + 0.1¢ LUST, unchanged since 1993 | 18.4¢ |
| Combined state + federal | 44.8¢ |
Petroleum Storage Tank Environmental Assurance Fee: $0.0140/gal. Rates are calculated quarterly on the average wholesale price of fuel. Beginning July 1, 2016, rates calculated and adjusted on an annual basis. Governor Beshear's Executive Order 2026-235 in May 2026 temporarily reduced motor fuel tax rates by 10 cents per gallon, which expired June 30, 2026.
How much of a gallon in Kentucky is tax
Kentucky gasoline currently averages $4.11 a gallon. Against that, the 44.8¢ of combined state and federal tax is about 10.9% of what a driver pays — with local taxes, where they apply, on top.
Tax rate from EIA as of July 2026; pump price is the current EIA weekly average. The two are published on different schedules, so the share moves as prices move even when the tax does not.
Kentucky vs. the other 50 states
Kentucky’s state gas tax of 26.4¢ is 7.4¢ below the 33.8¢ average across 50 states and D.C. — the 34th-highest, or equivalently the 18th-lowest.
Kentucky gas tax, answered
- What is the gas tax in Kentucky?
- Kentucky charges 26.4¢ per gallon in state gasoline taxes — 25.0¢ of state excise tax plus 1.4¢ in other state taxes and fees. Adding the 18.4¢ federal tax brings the total to 44.8¢ per gallon, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data as of July 2026. These are state and federal taxes only and exclude county and local taxes.
- How does Kentucky's gas tax compare to other states?
- Kentucky's state gasoline tax of 26.4¢ per gallon ranks 34th-highest of the 50 states and D.C. that EIA lists, against an average of 33.8¢. The highest is California at 73.6¢ and the lowest is Alaska at 8.9¢.
- What is the federal gas tax in Kentucky?
- The federal gasoline tax is 18.4¢ per gallon in Kentucky, the same as in every other state — 18.3¢ of excise tax plus a 0.1¢ Leaking Underground Storage Tank fee. It has been unchanged since 1993.
- How much of the price of gas in Kentucky is tax?
- With Kentucky gasoline averaging $4.11 per gallon, the 44.8¢ of combined state and federal tax is about 10.9% of the pump price. Local taxes, where they apply, are on top of that.
- Does Kentucky charge local gas taxes too?
- EIA does not flag Kentucky as a state where local option taxes are allowed. Its table covers taxes of general application and excludes county and local taxes in every state, so treat the figures here as state and federal only.
Related to Kentucky gas tax
Tax rates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Federal and state motor fuels taxes”, edition July 2026 (revised August 2026) (as of July 2026), published on EIA’s Petroleum Marketing Monthly page and reissued each January and July. EIA lists taxes “of general application … exclusive of county and local taxes”; rates are for gasoline.