Business · Energy & Commodities · 4 hrs ago
US Drivers Face Highest Fuel Costs From Middle East War, CREA Estimates
The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air estimates the war has added $468 billion to global fuel costs.
It estimates the United States accounts for $160 billion, the largest national share.
On a per-person basis, the group puts the added US cost at $471, compared with a global average of $60.
That comparison is not strictly like for like, and the figures cover fuel rather than all energy costs.
The war involving the United States, Israel and Iran has also affected electricity prices, with energy-importing countries such as Japan and countries in Europe facing serious pressure.
The group says high US reliance on oil-burning private vehicles leaves households, truckers and farmers exposed to fuel price shocks.
The United States produces large amounts of oil and gas, but it also exports them, which can affect prices at home.
The figures do not settle how the overall energy burden compares across countries, since costs and energy sources differ.
The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) estimates that the United States accounts for $160 billion of the $468 billion in global fuel-cost increases linked to the Middle East war.
CREA estimates that the additional cost is $471 per person in the United States, compared with a global average of $60.
CREA attributes the high US costs to heavy oil use and reliance on inefficient private vehicles.
OilPrice says the comparison leaves out differences in electricity costs and the greater energy-import dependence of some countries.
The article notes that fuel prices in the United States remain significantly higher than a year earlier.
- Who
- US drivers and other fuel users, according to estimates by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
- What
- CREA estimates that the United States bears the largest national share of global fuel-cost increases linked to the Middle East war.
- When
- The article was published on October 27, 2026. It says US fuel prices are higher than at the same time last year.
- Where
- The United States, in comparison with global fuel costs.
- Why
- CREA attributes the US costs to high oil consumption and reliance on inefficient private vehicles. The article says the comparison does not account fully for differences in electricity costs and energy imports.
CREA
OilPrice article
Comparison of energy costs
CREA
CREA estimates that the United States accounts for $160 billion of $468 billion in global fuel inflation, or $471 per person.
OilPrice article
The article says comparisons with a global per-person average may be unfair and omit electricity costs and conditions in other regions.
Reason for high US costs
CREA
CREA attributes the impact to high oil consumption, inefficient private vehicles and a slow shift away from petrol and diesel.
OilPrice article
The article notes that other countries face high energy costs too, including European fuel prices and Japan’s electricity prices.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Global fuel inflation estimate
- $468 billion
- US share of estimated global total
- $160 billion
- US additional fuel cost per person
- $471
- Global average additional fuel cost per person
- $60
- Publication date
- October 27, 2026
What people are saying
This [the financial hit] is because of America’s exceptional oil consumption due to high reliance on inefficient, oil-burning private vehicles and a slow transition away from petrol and diesel – leaving households, truckers and farmers particularly exposed to global fuel market shocks