How to use Waze and Google Maps to find cheaper gas

Compare gas prices before you hit the pump.
By Sasha Lekach  on 
A smartphone on a light blue background displays a Waze map.
Credit: Waze

You can set your destination to cheaper gas with the help of Waze and Google Maps.

The U.S. national average for a gallon of gas is $3.40 — and in places like Hawaii, California, and Pennsylvania the average is over $3.50, according to AAA.

There are gas tracking apps like GasBuddy, but that requires a separate search on your phone. When you're already using Waze or Google Maps, it's much easier to find the cheapest gas near you. Both navigation apps have gas prices built in.

On Waze you can search for gas stations nearby or along your route. The prices (which have been crowdsourced by other drivers on the Waze app) are listed so you can see which stops will be the cheapest to fill up.

In the Waze app, the gas station option will show up below the search bar.

Click on the gas pump icon and you'll see all the stations. You can filter it by distance, price, or brand. To find the cheapest fill-up, go with price. Click on the gear icon on the top right on the gas stations list.

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Once you've found the station you want, click on it and go — your navigation directions will lead you there.

A screenshot of a Waze menu with the "gas" icon highlighted with a blue oval.
Find the gas icon. Credit: SCREENSHOT / WAZE
A screenshot of a Waze "Sort By" menu for gas displaying options for price, distance, and brand.
On the hunt for cheap fuel. Credit: SCREENSHOT / WAZE

On the Google Maps app, when you're in drive mode you can search along your route for gas stations. It'll show the prices at all nearby stations along with how far of a detour you'll need to take.

Click on search and click on the gas stations option and all the nearby stations will pop up along your route.

If you're not on the road, you can see where nearby gas stations are located from the main search bar. But the prices won't show up unless you are in drive mode.

A screenshot of a Waze search for restaurants, gas, and groceries with the "gas" icon highlighted with a blue oval.
Gas station searching. Credit: SCREENSHOT / GOOGLE MAPS

Apple Maps does show gas stations nearby, but it doesn't clearly state the price per gallon like Waze and Google Maps do.

When you click on the search bar it pulls up suggestions of things nearby like COVID-19 vaccines, hotels, restaurants, and gas stations.

A screenshot of an Apple Maps search for COVID-19 vaccines, gas stations, hotels, and restaurants, with the "gas stations" icon highlighted with a blue oval.
Apple Maps doesn't give as much gas info. Credit: screenshot / APPLE MAPS

But for pricing information you'll have to head to the gas station and check out the prices for yourself.

Topics Google

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Sasha Lekach

Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.


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