Virginia Gas Tax
Virginia’s state taxes and fees on gasoline total 42.4¢ a gallon, the 9th-highest of 51; with the 18.4¢ federal tax, drivers pay 60.8¢ a gallon in combined tax. Rates are from U.S. Energy Information Administration data as of July 2026.
What makes up Virginia’s 60.8¢
| Virginia state excise tax | 32.6¢ |
|---|---|
| Other Virginia taxes & fees sales/use taxes, inspection and environmental fees | 9.8¢ |
| Total Virginia state tax | 42.4¢ |
| Federal excise + LUST fee 18.3¢ excise + 0.1¢ LUST, unchanged since 1993 | 18.4¢ |
| Combined state + federal | 60.8¢ |
Storage tank fee: $0.0020/gal. The Motor Vehicle Fuels Sales Tax (MVFST) (aka, Wholesale Sales Tax (WH)) rates: gasoline $0.0960/gal, diesel $0.0970/gal.
Indexed to inflation every July since 2022
Virginia has two state taxes on gasoline. The motor fuels tax is a per-gallon excise of 32.6¢. A separate motor vehicle fuels sales tax is collected at the wholesale level and listed by the EIA as a per-gallon amount; together with a small storage tank fee it makes up the rest of the state total. Retail gasoline is not subject to the general sales tax.
The current structure comes from the 2020 Omnibus Transportation Bill (House Bill 1414). It converted Virginia’s tax from a percentage of the wholesale price to a cents-per-gallon rate, raised it by 5¢ a year for two years to 26.2¢ in 2021, and indexed it to the U.S. Consumer Price Index from July 1, 2022. Each July the rate rises by the prior year’s inflation, and it cannot fall. The most recent adjustment, on July 1, 2026, raised it from 31.7¢ to 32.6¢.
In the EIA’s July 2026 (revised August 2026) table, Virginia’s state taxes and fees total 42.4¢ a gallon, the 9th-highest of the 50 states and D.C., against a 51-jurisdiction average of 33.8¢. Because the rate is indexed, that position tends to rise over time relative to states with fixed rates. Pump prices are on the Virginia 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.
Virginia's Gas Tax Beside Its Borders
Virginia has 6 bordering states, and in the EIA's July 2026 table only 1 of them, Maryland at 46.8¢, has a higher state total. Virginia's total is 4.4¢ (EIA table, July 2026) below Maryland's. North Carolina sits at 41.3¢ (EIA table, July 2026), and Virginia is 1.2¢ above North Carolina. The District of Columbia and West Virginia each show 35.7¢ (EIA table, July 2026), which puts Virginia 6.7¢ above each of them.
Kentucky, at 26.4¢ (EIA table, July 2026), has the lowest state total among the bordering states, and Virginia is 16.0¢ above Kentucky. Virginia's total is also 15.0¢ above Tennessee's 27.4¢ in the EIA's July 2026 table.
Ahead of Virginia in that July 2026 table are 8 jurisdictions, including California, which has the highest state total at 73.6¢. Behind Virginia are 42 jurisdictions, including Alaska, which has the lowest at 9.0¢ (EIA table, July 2026). Virginia's total stands 8.6¢ (EIA table, July 2026) above the average across the 50 states and D.C.
Inside Virginia's own figure, the other state taxes and fees come to 9.8¢ in the EIA's July 2026 table, and excise makes up 77% of the state total. Within the combined state and federal amount of 60.8¢ (EIA table, July 2026), the state portion is 70%.
How much of a gallon in Virginia is tax
Virginia gasoline is estimated at $3.89 a gallon. Against that, the 60.8¢ of combined state and federal tax is about 15.6% 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 Virginia).
Virginia vs. the other 50 states
Virginia’s state gas tax of 42.4¢ is 8.6¢ above the 33.8¢ average across 50 states and D.C. — it is the 9th-highest.
Neighboring states' gas tax
| State | State tax | vs. Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Maryland gas tax | 46.8¢ | +4.4¢ |
| North Carolina gas tax | 41.3¢ | −1.2¢ |
| District of Columbia gas tax | 35.7¢ | −6.7¢ |
| West Virginia gas tax | 35.7¢ | −6.7¢ |
| Tennessee gas tax | 27.4¢ | −15.0¢ |
| Kentucky gas tax | 26.4¢ | −16.0¢ |
Virginia gas tax, answered
- What is the gas tax in Virginia?
- 42.4¢ a gallon in state taxes and fees; with the 18.4¢ federal tax, 60.8¢ (EIA, July 2026).
- How does Virginia's gas tax compare to other states?
- The 9th-highest of the 50 states and D.C.; the average is 33.8¢.
- What is the federal gas tax in Virginia?
- The federal gasoline tax is 18.4¢ per gallon in Virginia, the same as in every other state.
- Does Virginia charge local gas taxes too?
- EIA does not flag Virginia as allowing local option taxes.
Related to Virginia gas tax
EIA, “Federal and state motor fuels taxes” (July 2026 (revised August 2026)); how these figures are built.
More Virginia 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, “Virginia Gas Tax,” usgasgauge.com/gas-tax/virginia. Source data: U.S. Energy Information Administration.