Rhode Island Gas Tax
Rhode Island’s state taxes and fees on gasoline total 41.1¢ a gallon, the 11th-highest of 51; with the 18.4¢ federal tax, drivers pay 59.5¢ a gallon in combined tax. Rates are from U.S. Energy Information Administration data as of July 2026.
What makes up Rhode Island’s 59.5¢
| Rhode Island state excise tax | 40.0¢ |
|---|---|
| Other Rhode Island taxes & fees sales/use taxes, inspection and environmental fees | 1.1¢ |
| Total Rhode Island state tax | 41.1¢ |
| Federal excise + LUST fee 18.3¢ excise + 0.1¢ LUST, unchanged since 1993 | 18.4¢ |
| Combined state + federal | 59.5¢ |
Environmental Protection Regulatory fee (EPRF): $0.0100/gal. Uniform Oil Response and Prevention (UORF) fee: $0.0500/bbl ($0.0012/gal).
Indexed every two years, with a new base in 2025
Rhode Island charges a per-gallon excise of 40.0¢ on motor fuel, plus two small fees: a 1¢ environmental protection regulatory fee and an oil spill response fee of about a tenth of a cent. Gasoline is not subject to the state sales tax.
Since 2014 the excise has been indexed to inflation, but only every second year: the Division of Taxation measures consumer prices in September of even-numbered years and adjusts the rate on July 1 of odd-numbered years, rounded to the nearest cent. Under that formula it went from 32¢ to 33¢ in 2015, 34¢ in 2019, and 37¢ in 2023. A 38¢ rate was scheduled for July 1, 2025, but the fiscal 2026 budget replaced it with a new 40¢ base on that date. The next inflation adjustment is due July 1, 2027, under a revised formula that uses inflation over the two preceding years.
In the EIA’s July 2026 (revised August 2026) table, Rhode Island’s state taxes and fees total 41.1¢ a gallon, the 11th-highest of the 50 states and D.C., against a 51-jurisdiction average of 33.8¢. It is one of the few states whose rate rises automatically. Prices at the pump are covered on the Rhode Island 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.
Rhode Island Gas Tax Beside Its Neighbors
Massachusetts and Connecticut are the 2 states bordering Rhode Island, and in the EIA's July 2026 table 0 of 2 has a higher state total. Massachusetts, the bordering state with the highest total, is listed at 27.6¢ (EIA table, July 2026), and Rhode Island is 13.6¢ above Massachusetts. Connecticut, with the lowest total among them, is listed at 25.0¢ (EIA table, July 2026), and Rhode Island is 16.1¢ above Connecticut. Both neighbors' figures, 27.6¢ and 25.0¢, come from the same July 2026 table as Rhode Island's 41.1¢.
Rhode Island sits below 10 jurisdictions and above 40 in the EIA's July 2026 table, and its total is 7.4¢ above the average across the 50 states and D.C. The range in that table runs from 9.0¢ in Alaska to 73.6¢ in California, and Rhode Island's 41.1¢ falls between those two endpoints.
In the EIA's July 2026 table, Rhode Island's excise is 40.0¢ of the state total, which is 97%, and the other state taxes and fees add 1.1¢. The state's part of the combined state and federal total is 69%, with the federal tax at 18.4¢ in the same July 2026 table.
How much of a gallon in Rhode Island is tax
Rhode Island gasoline is estimated at $4.47 a gallon. Against that, the 59.5¢ of combined state and federal tax is about 13.3% 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 Rhode Island).
Rhode Island vs. the other 50 states
Rhode Island’s state gas tax of 41.1¢ is 7.4¢ above the 33.8¢ average across 50 states and D.C. — it is the 11th-highest.
Neighboring states' gas tax
| State | State tax | vs. Rhode Island |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts gas tax | 27.6¢ | −13.6¢ |
| Connecticut gas tax | 25.0¢ | −16.1¢ |
Rhode Island gas tax, answered
- What is the gas tax in Rhode Island?
- 41.1¢ a gallon in state taxes and fees; with the 18.4¢ federal tax, 59.5¢ (EIA, July 2026).
- How does Rhode Island's gas tax compare to other states?
- The 11th-highest of the 50 states and D.C.; the average is 33.8¢.
- What is the federal gas tax in Rhode Island?
- The federal gasoline tax is 18.4¢ per gallon in Rhode Island, the same as in every other state.
- Does Rhode Island charge local gas taxes too?
- EIA does not flag Rhode Island as allowing local option taxes.
Related to Rhode Island gas tax
EIA, “Federal and state motor fuels taxes” (July 2026 (revised August 2026)); how these figures are built.
More Rhode Island 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, “Rhode Island Gas Tax,” usgasgauge.com/gas-tax/rhode-island. Source data: U.S. Energy Information Administration.