--- title: High Gas Prices Are Discouraging Americans From Buying Cars description: Immediate prices at the pump appear to be influencing car-use behavior in the U.S. more than long-term climate concerns. canonical: https://time.com/6193412/high-gas-prices-car-buying/ author: Kyla Mandel article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2022-07-01T21:17:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T14:27:37.462Z article:section: Climate og:title: High Gas Prices Are Discouraging Americans From Buying Cars og:description: Immediate prices at the pump appear to be influencing car-use behavior in the U.S. more than long-term climate concerns og:url: https://time.com/6193412/high-gas-prices-car-buying/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt061bebabc04585ef/698a336386f68e66e06f1613/gas-prices-impacting-behavior-buying-renting-car-united-states.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: gasexpense og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: High Gas Prices Are Discouraging Americans From Buying Cars twitter:description: Immediate prices at the pump appear to be influencing car-use behavior in the U.S. more than long-term climate concerns twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt061bebabc04585ef/698a336386f68e66e06f1613/gas-prices-impacting-behavior-buying-renting-car-united-states.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # High Gas Prices Are Discouraging Americans From Buying Cars Right Now > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Future Proof: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Future Proof is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Making sense of the climate and energy economy. Future Proof examines the forces transforming energy and climate, and what those changes mean for business, technology, policy and the global economy. Senior correspondent Justin Worland goes beyond traditional climate coverage to connect the energy transition to the bigger decisions reshaping companies, markets and society. 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Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Kyla Mandel](https://time.com/author/kyla-mandel/)  ## Kyla Mandel Mandel is a senior editor at TIME. Jul 1, 2022 9:17 PM UTC  In June 2022, gas prices in the United States hit a record average of $5 a gallon. In June 2022, gas prices in the United States hit a record average of $5 a gallon. Gaya Gupta/The Washington Post—Getty Images  by [Kyla Mandel](https://time.com/author/kyla-mandel/)  ## Kyla Mandel Mandel is a senior editor at TIME. Jul 1, 2022 9:17 PM UTC Few Americans are buying new cars right now, and for nearly half of those who didn’t buy a car this year, high gas prices were a big reason why. That’s according to a survey conducted by the [Harris Poll](https://theharrispoll.com/briefs/americans-drive-with-their-wallets-in-mind/) on behalf of TIME. Earlier this month, gas prices in the U.S. hit [an average $5/gallon](https://time.com/6188569/gas-prices-oil/) for the first time ever—the result of Russia’s war in Ukraine, pandemic supply chain disruptions, inflation, and higher demand. Not only are more people commuting again, but the summer season is here and everyone is very ready to hit the road. But with prices at the pump nearly $2 more per gallon than they were a year ago, it seems to be making some people think twice about acquiring gas guzzlers. The poll, which surveyed over 1,000 adults across the U.S. at the end of June, shows that only 10% of respondents bought a new car in the past six months. And in addition to the cost and type of car leading the way as obviously important factors, just over half of the people who bought a car said they took gas prices into consideration when making their purchase. That’s compared to 44% of people who bought a car saying they cared about the type of fuel the car used. Meanwhile, only about a third of those surveyed said environmental concerns played a part in their decision to not buy a new car. This suggests that the immediate impact on people’s wallets appears to be a bigger influence in car-use behavior in the U.S. than the longer term implications of driving fossil-fuelled vehicles. My colleague Justin Worland [reported](https://time.com/6160256/gas-prices-climate-cost/) earlier this year, if everything from congestion, accidents, and air pollution was factored into pump prices, gas would cost an extra $2.10 per gallon. Perhaps if such costs were built in, the U.S. car fleet would look much different than it does. Meanwhile, when it comes to renting a car, gas prices and the environment mattered even less. The overwhelming concern for those surveyed who have rented this past year (about 15% of the total polled) was getting whatever type of vehicle they wanted for the best price—and for over 75% of car renters, that meant a gas-powered car. Gas prices and fuel economy mattered to just over a third of renters, while a quarter of them said the type of fuel their rental car used mattered to them. Ultimately, only 19% of people said they reserved a hybrid or electric car. This could shift though. Hertz tells TIME it is seeing growing demand for fuel-efficient, electric, or hybrid cars. And Enterprise Holdings—which owns car rental brands Enterprise, National, and Alamo—says that “when we’ve seen fuel price increases in the past, we tend to begin seeing consumer interest rise in fuel efficiency and alternative fuel options.” Things likely won’t slow down, however, as we head into the hotter months. Enterprise Holdings says “demand and reservations continue to look strong for summer despite gas prices.” The company expects domestic travel to match last year’s high levels, with two-thirds of their customers in an internal survey conducted in June saying they planned to go on roadtrips. But, it added, “59% of those said they would consider staying closer to home as a result of the higher gas prices.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6193412/high-gas-prices-car-buying/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6193412/high-gas-prices-car-buying/"},"headline":"High Gas Prices Are Discouraging Americans From Buying Cars Right Now","datePublished":"2022-07-01T21:17:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T14:27:37.462Z","description":"Immediate prices at the pump appear to be influencing car-use behavior in the U.S. more than long-term climate concerns","url":"https://time.com/6193412/high-gas-prices-car-buying/","keywords":["energy","climate change","healthscienceclimate","Climate Is Everything"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt061bebabc04585ef/698a336386f68e66e06f1613/gas-prices-impacting-behavior-buying-renting-car-united-states.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kyla Mandel","jobTitle":"Mandel is a senior editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/kyla-mandel/"}],"articleSection":"Climate","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt061bebabc04585ef/698a336386f68e66e06f1613/gas-prices-impacting-behavior-buying-renting-car-united-states.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"gasexpense","caption":"gasexpense","creditText":"Gaya Gupta/The Washington Post—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/climate/","name":"Climate"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/energy/","name":"energy"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6193412/high-gas-prices-car-buying/","name":"High Gas Prices Are Discouraging Americans From Buying Cars Right Now"}}]}] ```