THE LAKE ERIE INQUIRY · BY THE NUMBERS · REVIEW COPY

By the Numbers: the full fuel comparison

← Back to the article and station picker

The pump-by-pump comparison

33 street stations, one named Turnpike plaza, and the original western Turnpike market. Original reads Oct. 25, 5:18–5:27 p.m. EDT; additions and rechecks 5:38–5:41 p.m.; Oakland replacement 5:49 p.m.; Lima recheck 9:37 p.m. Dollars per gallon. R/M/P/D mean regular/midgrade/premium/diesel. Owner and DataFeed are GasBuddy reporter labels; other names are member reports. “New” means no September baseline.

For stations offering a cash switch, the main figures use its unchecked credit view. Cash reports appear in the notes with their own ages. Reports of different ages are not simultaneous quotes. A dash means no usable price in that category; notes distinguish unlisted grades, missing reports and prices held for verification.

Lima Speedway regular and midgrade were refreshed at 9:37 p.m.; its older premium quote remains withheld. Oakland County now uses Marathon at 4000 Lapeer Road in Auburn Hills; its regular and midgrade reports closely agree with the retailer locator, while its conflicting premium quote is withheld. See the price-check notes below. Dearborn’s September payment method was unspecified, so its exact change is withheld.

Two Krogers, opposite sides of the line

Fuel center	Regular	Report age at reading
Lambertville, MI — Secor at Sterns	$4.19	7 hours
Toledo, OH — 833 W. Alexis	$4.49	1 day

Michigan was 30¢ cheaper at this pair: $4.50 on 15 gallons, before fuel-point redemption. These are reported base prices at different posting times, not statewide averages or a controlled test of tax savings.

Place	Station / address	Regular	Midgrade	Premium	Diesel	Regular vs. Sept. 16	Reporter / age	Qualifications	AAA regular benchmark
Toledo, OH	Costco 3425 W Central Ave	$3.95	—	$4.99	—	-10.0¢	R/P Owner, 13 min	Membership required; no midgrade/diesel listed	$4.41 Toledo
Toledo, OH	Speedway 2172 Arlington Ave	$4.49	$4.99	$5.49	$6.69	-10.0¢	All Jacki502b, 18 hr		$4.41 Toledo
Bowling Green, OH	Meijer 2111 E Wooster St	$4.45	—	$5.29	$6.63	-14.0¢	R trexasaurous 1 day; P Buddy_f31u3bb2 2 days; D visitor 33 min	Midgrade not posted; E85 3.54, pghughes3, 1 day	No exact named AAA metro used
Napoleon, OH	Speedway 904 N Scott St	$4.45	$4.95	$5.45	$6.69	-14.0¢	All fatmantiny, 38 min		No exact named AAA metro used
Lima, OH	Speedway 1875 Harding Hwy	$4.39	$4.89	—	$6.69	-20.0¢	21:37 EDT recheck: R Buddy_0fhdpdbb 1 hr; M Buddy_un519bze 3 hr; D bmeri_2 8 hr	Fresh member reports replace earlier R/M reports. Premium held: unchanged 6.49 report by shores4now, 20 hr old. E85 not posted. Prices are reported, not independently checked at the pump.	$4.33 Lima
Lima, OH	Meijer 3180 Elida Rd	$4.39	$4.89	$5.39	$6.69	-20.0¢	21:37 EDT recheck: R/D bpd321; M/P emma182004e; all 1 day		$4.33 Lima
Sandusky, OH	Speedway 2227 Campbell St	$4.49	$4.99	$5.49	$6.28	-10.0¢	All Al5080, 2 hr	E85 3.74, Al5080, 2 hr	No exact named AAA metro used
Sandusky, OH	Meijer 4714 Milan Rd	$4.43	$4.96	$5.46	$6.59	-16.0¢	R/D DonnaOhio 4 hr; M lady_jewel 22 hr; P Al5080 6 hr		No exact named AAA metro used
Edon, OH	Flying J 14896 State Route 49	$4.15	$4.45	$4.75	$6.49	-24.0¢	R Browncoat804 3 hr; M/P Owner 41 min; D coloneldad5 1 day	Credit/default view. Cash D also 6.49, Owner 45 min; cash M 4.59/P 4.89, coloneldad5 1 day; no cash R report. Older cash reports are not simultaneous price quotes	No exact named AAA metro used
Monroe, MI	Speedway 14985 LaPlaisance Rd	$4.79	$5.39	$5.99	$6.99	-20.0¢	DataFeed: R/M/P 5 hr; D 19 hr		No exact named AAA metro used
Monroe, MI	Meijer 1700 N Telegraph Rd	$4.79	$5.39	$5.99	$6.99	+20.0¢	All OrngKr8, 1 day		No exact named AAA metro used
Monroe, MI	Pilot 1100 N Dixie Hwy	$4.65	$5.26	$5.64	—	+6.0¢	R/M/P Owner, 41 min	Credit/default view; CASH diesel 6.85, Owner 44 min. Credit diesel not posted	No exact named AAA metro used
Ann Arbor, MI	Speedway 2799 Plymouth Rd	$4.79	$5.39	$5.99	$6.99	+20.0¢	R Pedestrian 10 hr; M/P/D BlurryFuture 19 hr		$4.81 Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI	Costco 771 Airport Blvd	$4.59	—	$5.89	—	+20.0¢	R/P Owner, 18 min	Membership required; no midgrade/diesel listed	$4.81 Ann Arbor
Dearborn, MI	Mobil 22600 Michigan Ave	$4.87	$5.57	$6.27	$6.49	Basis uncertain	All Trek4Less, 17 hr	Credit view; cash R/M/P/D 4.77/5.47/6.17/6.39, same reporter and age. September payment basis not specified	$4.89 Metro Detroit
Detroit, MI	Speedway 711 E Jefferson Ave	$4.79	$5.39	$5.99	$6.99	+20.0¢	All DataFeed, 1 day	Credit/default view; cash not posted; E85 not posted	$4.89 Metro Detroit
Detroit, MI	Meijer 1301 W 8 Mile Rd	$4.69	$5.29	$5.89	$6.99	+10.0¢	All alsoJamie, 1 day	E85 3.94, alsoJamie, 1 day	$4.89 Metro Detroit
Auburn Hills (Oakland County), MI	Marathon 4000 Lapeer Rd	$4.39	$5.19	—	$6.49	—	17:49 read: R/M DataFeed 18 hr; D DataFeed 1 day	NEW; credit view. Cash R 4.29 DataFeed 18 hr; M 5.09 visitor 2 days; D 6.29 visitor 1 day; cash premium absent. Marathon locator shows R 4.40/M 5.20 (within 1 cent; payment basis unspecified). Premium withheld: GasBuddy credit 5.59 (DataFeed 1 day), Marathon 5.50. Diesel not independently confirmed.	$4.89 Metro Detroit
Mount Clemens (Macomb County), MI	Marathon 85 S Groesbeck Hwy	$4.79	$5.49	$6.09	—	—	R/M rmrmshaman 9 hr; P ambergelians 10 hr	NEW; credit view. Cash R 4.69, 4y98nyr2zh 8 min; M 5.39 rmrmshaman 9 hr; P 5.99 ambergelians 10 hr. Diesel not listed	$4.89 Metro Detroit
Adrian, MI	Marathon (Ridis) 2275 US-223	$4.59	$5.29	$5.99	$6.29	—	R cserin 4 hr; M/P/D Buddy_53pj6y6x 1 day	NEW	No exact named AAA metro used
Fremont, OH	Marathon 1912 Hayes Ave	$4.69	$4.86	$5.69	—	—	DataFeed: R/P 1 day; M 18 hr	NEW; diesel not posted; grades reported at different times	No exact named AAA metro used
Toledo, OH	Marathon 615 Oak St	$4.39	—	—	—	—	R cindytom33, 1 day	NEW; credit view; cash R 4.29 same reporter/age. Other grades not posted	$4.41 Toledo
Defiance, OH	Marathon / Keck's Market 1970 Jefferson Ave	$4.47	—	—	—	—	R DataFeed, 18 hr	NEW; M/P not posted; diesel not listed	No exact named AAA metro used
Findlay, OH	Marathon 1100 W Trenton Ave	$4.48	$5.08	$5.68	$6.29	—	All zeke63812010, 21 hr	NEW	No exact named AAA metro used
Ypsilanti, MI	Marathon 1420 Washtenaw Ave	$4.89	$5.49	$6.09	—	—	All rjlinehan, 22 hr	NEW; credit view; cash R 4.79 same reporter/age; cash M/P not posted; diesel not listed	No exact named AAA metro used
Bryan, OH	Marathon 402 S Main St	$4.45	$4.97	$5.47	$6.69	—	R/D jshaw1105; M/P osu1; all 1 day	NEW	No exact named AAA metro used
Perrysburg, OH	Costco 26410 N Dixie Hwy	$4.09	—	$5.09	—	—	17:38 read: R/P Owner 34 min	NEW; membership required; midgrade/diesel not listed	No exact named AAA metro used
Sylvania, OH	Speedway 6601 Monroe St	$4.49	$4.99	$5.49	$6.69	—	17:38 read: R/M/P DataFeed 19 hr; D DataFeed 1 day	NEW	No exact named AAA metro used
Oregon, OH	Sheetz 2740 Navarre Ave	$4.37	$4.87	$5.37	$6.69	—	17:38 read: all Owner 36 min	NEW; E85 3.97 and UNL88 4.07, same feed/age; neither substituted for regular	No exact named AAA metro used
Dundee, MI	Speedway 635 Tecumseh St	$4.79	$5.39	$5.99	$6.99	—	17:38 read: R/D cpuaggie; M/P DataFeed; all 5 hr	NEW; E85 report absent	No exact named AAA metro used
Trenton (Downriver), MI	Marathon 4350 W Jefferson Ave	$4.79	$5.39	$5.79	$6.69	—	17:38 read: R/P DataFeed 18 hr; M/D divotdiva410 2 days	NEW; credit view. Cash 4.69/5.29/5.69/6.69, same reporters/ages, checked 17:40. GasBuddy incorrectly labels state OH; Michigan licensing and Trenton Business Association confirm MI. M/D older reports.	No exact named AAA metro used
Lambertville, MI	Kroger Fuel Center 7405 Secor Rd (at Sterns)	$4.19	$4.69	$5.29	—	—	17:38 read: R scotty3999 7 hr; M/P rjd1608 11 hr	NEW; border pair; displayed price before fuel-point redemption; diesel not listed. Kroger official address 7405; GasBuddy lists 7427 Secor with same phone.	No exact named AAA metro used
Toledo, OH	Kroger Fuel Center 833 W Alexis Rd	$4.49	$4.99	$5.59	$6.69	—	17:40 read: R mbrit11; M/P rjd1608; D bbwais54; all 1 day	NEW; border pair; displayed price before fuel-point redemption. Initial feed blank; successful reread retained.	$4.41 Toledo

Price-check notes

Lima Speedway: Oct. 25, 21:37 EDT: new member reports show regular 4.39 (Buddy_0fhdpdbb, 1 hour) and midgrade 4.89 (Buddy_un519bze, 3 hours). These supersede earlier 5.49/5.99 reports; no claim that the earlier reports were true pump prices or that the pump price fell by 1.10. Premium remains the old 6.49 report (shores4now, 20 hours), withheld pending confirmation. Diesel 6.69 (bmeri_2, 8 hours). E85 absent. Regular and midgrade restored as attributed reports.

Lima Meijer: Oct. 25, 21:37 EDT: unchanged regular 4.39, midgrade 4.89, premium 5.39, diesel 6.69; R/D bpd321, M/P emma182004e, all 1 day. Same reports, not independent confirmation.

Oakland County replacement: Publisher replaced new 688 W Huron station with Marathon, 4000 Lapeer Rd, Auburn Hills. Oct. 25 at 17:49 EDT: GasBuddy credit regular 4.39 and midgrade 5.19, DataFeed 18 hr; Marathon locator 4.40 and 5.20, with disclaimer refreshed up to 2 hours ago and payment basis unspecified. These closely agree but are not exact same-basis confirmation. Premium differs (GasBuddy 5.59 vs Marathon 5.50), so withheld. Diesel 6.49 is attributed day-old DataFeed only. No September baseline. Sources: https://www.gasbuddy.com/station/76833 and https://www.marathonfuel.com/stations .

Retailer sources: Marathon locator · Lima Speedway. Held quotes are retained here as reporting evidence, not cleared prices for the pump comparison.

Turnpike: western market and added Vermilion Valley plaza

Official commission prices set Friday, Oct. 23, at 3 p.m. Next scheduled change Monday by 3 p.m. The original western-market entry is an aggregate; the new entry is Sunoco at Vermilion Valley, milepost 139.5 eastbound in Lorain County, using the commission’s eastern-market price. It is not a separate pump survey.

Location / market	Regular	Plus	Premium	Ultra	Diesel
Original western market	$4.439	$4.899	$5.419	$5.439	$6.099
Vermilion Valley Sunoco / East	$4.479	$4.899	$5.489	$5.499	$6.299

Western regular is down 1.0¢ and diesel down 27.0¢ from Sept. 16. No September baseline is claimed for the added plaza. Plaza location · Official market prices.

The benchmarks

AAA, Oct. 25. Changes calculated from unrounded averages. “Month ago” is AAA’s comparison date, not the Sept. 16 station-read baseline.

Area	Regular	Regular vs. month ago	Regular vs. Sept. 16	Diesel	Diesel vs. month ago	Diesel vs. Sept. 16
Ohio	$4.41	+1.9¢	+6.7¢	$6.47	-30.8¢	+14.8¢
Toledo	$4.41	+4.3¢	+8.5¢	$6.38	-34.0¢	+9.2¢
Lima	$4.33	+2.3¢	-6.7¢	$6.46	-36.3¢	+8.6¢
Michigan	$4.83	+6.5¢	+28.7¢	$6.78	-6.6¢	+43.3¢
Ann Arbor	$4.81	+1.6¢	+23.2¢	$6.81	-8.8¢	+44.3¢
Metro Detroit	$4.89	+10.5¢	+35.9¢	$6.80	-7.0¢	+49.7¢

What a tank costs

Illustrative full-tank capacity × Toledo AAA regular average; not the amount every driver buys. Same vehicle capacities as the September feature. Exact trim and optional tanks vary.

Vehicle	Gallons	Sept. 16	Oct. 25	Change
2026 Honda Civic sedan (gas)	12.4	$53.58	$54.63	$1.06
2026 Chevrolet Equinox FWD 1.5T	14.9	$64.38	$65.65	$1.27
2026 Ford F-150 SuperCrew (standard tank)	26	$112.34	$114.56	$2.22

The taxes and the dates

Tax	Ohio gasoline	Ohio clear diesel	Michigan gasoline	Michigan clear diesel
State motor-fuel tax	Virtually zero through Jan. 2	Virtually zero through Jan. 2	52.4¢/gal	52.4¢/gal
Ordinary federal excise tax	18.4¢/gal	24.4¢/gal	18.4¢/gal	24.4¢/gal

Dyed-diesel relief is separate. The IRS says its temporary relief does not apply to clear diesel. Ohio’s original state rates are 38.5¢ for gasoline and 47¢ for diesel. Official Ohio summaries disagree about the unit for the tiny remaining tax, so this table does not assert an exact residual rate.

Federal weekly comparison

EIA week of Oct. 19, released Oct. 20. Prices include taxes; this is a different survey and date from AAA.

Area	Regular	Diesel
United States	$4.284	$6.276
Midwest (PADD 2)	$4.145	$6.352

Sources and reporting notes

Reporting notes · Detailed price records · Copyable lead story

[1] AAA Ohio, Oct. 25, with expanded Toledo table: https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=OH

[2] AAA Michigan, Oct. 25: https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=MI

[3] Ohio Department of Taxation, Oct. 2 guidance: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/OHTAX/bulletins/42d9a3d

[4] GasBuddy station pages, current reads and the paper's Sept. 16 saved baseline: https://www.gasbuddy.com/station/72055 ; https://www.gasbuddy.com/station/27428 ; https://www.gasbuddy.com/station/149570 ; https://www.gasbuddy.com/station/898 ; https://www.gasbuddy.com/station/83820 . Full roster accompanies the story.

[5] Ohio Turnpike price table, set Oct. 23, 3 p.m.: https://www.ohioturnpike.org/travelers/service-plazas/fuel-prices

[6] Michigan Treasury: https://www.michigan.gov/taxes/business-taxes/motor-fuel/changes ; Ohio Senate on General Revenue Fund offset: https://ohiosenate.gov/members/tim-schaffer/news/senator-schaffer-approves-gas-tax-suspension

[7] IRS Oct. 14 guidance: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-provides-dyed-diesel-fuel-relief-related-to-excise-tax-following-president-trumps-executive-order ; Oct. 5 executive order: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/10/emergency-tax-relief-on-diesel-fuel/

[8] Ohio Department of Taxation, Oct. 22: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/OHTAX/bulletins/43024f9

[9] Michigan governor, Oct. 12: https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/news/press-releases/2026/10/12/whitmer-signs-executive-order-to-support-farmers-loggers-as-diesel-prices-collide-with-harvest

[10] IRS FAQ, updated Oct. 23: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/dyed-diesel-frequently-asked-questions

[11] EIA October outlook: https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/pdf/steo_text.pdf?os=iosdF

[12] Border pair, Oct. 25 reads: https://www.gasbuddy.com/station/72265 ; https://www.gasbuddy.com/station/129200 . Lambertville fuel-center identity: https://www.kroger.com/stores/fuel/mi/lambertville

[13] Survey high, Oct. 25 read: https://www.gasbuddy.com/station/123504 . Credit $4.89; cash $4.79; reports 22 hours old. Survey low: https://www.gasbuddy.com/station/72055 . Owner report 13 minutes old.

EIA weekly: Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update