Washington Gas Tax
Washington’s state taxes and fees on gasoline total 60.2¢ a gallon, the 4th-highest of 51; with the 18.4¢ federal tax, drivers pay 78.6¢ a gallon in combined tax. Rates are from U.S. Energy Information Administration data as of July 2026.
What makes up Washington’s 78.6¢
| Washington state excise tax | 56.5¢ |
|---|---|
| Other Washington taxes & fees sales/use taxes, inspection and environmental fees | 3.7¢ |
| Total Washington state tax | 60.2¢ |
| Federal excise + LUST fee 18.3¢ excise + 0.1¢ LUST, unchanged since 1993 | 18.4¢ |
| Combined state + federal | 78.6¢ |
Oil Spill Administration Tax: $0.0400/bbl ($0.0009523/gal). Oil Spill Response tax: $0.0100/bbl ($0.000238/gal). Hazardous Substance tax on petroleum products that can be measured on per-barrel basis: $1.4900/bbl ($0.0355/gal). "Border Zone Area Motor Fuel Tax" $0.01/gal in counties bordering Canada. Petroleum Products Tax (PPT) reinstated as of January 1, 2020: rate is based on the wholesale value of the petroleum product multiplied by .0030.
A 2025 increase and annual 2 percent steps
Washington’s gasoline excise is 56.5¢ a gallon. It rose from 49.4¢ to 55.4¢ on July 1, 2025, and the same law added a 2 percent increase each July starting in 2026, so the rate now rises by roughly a cent a year without further legislation.
The rest of the state total is a set of smaller taxes the EIA lists separately: a hazardous substance tax charged per barrel of petroleum product, the Petroleum Products Tax (0.3 percent of wholesale value, reinstated in January 2020), and two oil spill taxes. A 1¢ border zone tax applies in counties along the Canadian border. The EIA also flags Washington as allowing local option fuel taxes. Washington does not apply its sales tax to gasoline.
Two state climate programs that began on January 1, 2023, the Climate Commitment Act’s cap-and-invest program and the Clean Fuel Standard, add costs for fuel suppliers but are not taxes and are not in these figures. In the EIA’s July 2026 (revised August 2026) table, Washington’s state taxes and fees total 60.2¢ a gallon, the 4th-highest of the 50 states and D.C., against a 51-jurisdiction average of 33.8¢. The Washington gas prices page covers how these costs show up in pump prices.
Sources: current rates and rankings are from the EIA motor fuel tax table in our database; other facts are from the sources listed here.
Washington's Rank Against Oregon and Idaho
Washington's state total in the EIA's July 2026 table is 60.2¢, which places it 4th-highest among the 50 states and D.C. California, at 73.6¢, holds the highest total in that table, and Alaska, at 9.0¢, holds the lowest.
Only 2 states share a land border with Washington, and the EIA's July 2026 table gives Oregon 40.0¢ and Idaho 33.0¢. Oregon is the bordering state with the highest total, and Idaho is the bordering state with the lowest. Washington's total is 20.2¢ (EIA table, July 2026) above Oregon's and 27.2¢ above Idaho's. Of the 2 bordering states, 0 of 2 have a higher state total than Washington.
Against the 33.8¢ average for the 50 states and D.C. in the same July 2026 table, Washington's 60.2¢ is 26.4¢ above. Within the 60.2¢ (EIA table, July 2026), 56.5¢ is excise and 3.7¢ comes from other state taxes and fees, so excise accounts for 94% of the state total.
Adding the 18.4¢ federal tax to the state total gives 78.6¢ in the EIA's July 2026 table, and the state's portion of that combined figure is 77%.
The EIA lists state taxes of general application and excludes county and local taxes. Local option taxes on gasoline also apply in parts of Washington, and the 60.2¢ (EIA table, July 2026) total does not include them.
How much of a gallon in Washington is tax
Washington gasoline currently averages $5.45 a gallon. Against that, the 78.6¢ of combined state and federal tax is about 14.4% 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.
Washington vs. the other 50 states
Washington’s state gas tax of 60.2¢ is 26.4¢ above the 33.8¢ average across 50 states and D.C. — it is the 4th-highest.
Neighboring states' gas tax
| State | State tax | vs. Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon gas tax | 40.0¢ | −20.2¢ |
| Idaho gas tax | 33.0¢ | −27.2¢ |
Washington gas tax, answered
- What is the gas tax in Washington?
- 60.2¢ a gallon in state taxes and fees; with the 18.4¢ federal tax, 78.6¢ (EIA, July 2026).
- How does Washington's gas tax compare to other states?
- The 4th-highest of the 50 states and D.C.; the average is 33.8¢.
- What is the federal gas tax in Washington?
- The federal gasoline tax is 18.4¢ per gallon in Washington, the same as in every other state.
- Does Washington charge local gas taxes too?
- Yes: EIA flags Washington as allowing local option taxes, which are not in the figures here.
Related to Washington gas tax
EIA, “Federal and state motor fuels taxes” (July 2026 (revised August 2026)); how these figures are built.
More Washington 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, “Washington Gas Tax,” usgasgauge.com/gas-tax/washington. Source data: U.S. Energy Information Administration.