Washington Fuel Tax
Washington charges about 65 cents per gallon in state taxes and fees on gasoline and 71 cents on diesel. That ranks 3 of 51 states (including DC) for gasoline tax, where 1 is the highest. The figure is 31.6 cents above the national average of 33.4 cents.
State gasoline tax
65¢ / gal est.
Ranks 3 of 51 (1 = highest)
State diesel tax
71¢ / gal est.
Ranks 4 of 51 (1 = highest)
Total tax per gallon, with the federal rate
| Fuel | State | Federal | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline | 65¢ | 18.4¢ | 83.4¢ |
| Diesel | 71¢ | 24.4¢ | 95.4¢ |
Estimate. Excise rose on July 1, 2026 and now indexes about 2% a year.
Basis: Total state taxes and fees: the state excise plus statewide fees and, where a state levies it, sales or gross-receipts tax on fuel. Excludes the federal tax and local/county taxes. Snapshot as of July 2026. Rates change and several states
re-index each year, so confirm the current figure with the Washington department of revenue
before relying on it. This state's figure is an estimate where a
fully reconciled number was not yet published.
Nearby on the gas-tax ranking
- California 73.1¢ gas · 89.5¢ diesel
- Illinois 66.4¢ gas · 73.9¢ diesel
- Pennsylvania 58.7¢ gas · 74.1¢ diesel
- Indiana 53.5¢ gas · 62¢ diesel
How fuel tax works
A fuel tax is an excise: a set number of cents on each gallon, collected whether the pump reads two dollars or five. The federal rate (18.4 cents on gasoline, 24.4 on diesel) is the same in every state and has not changed since 1993. The state rate is where the pump price diverges from one state line to the next.