These Michigan Gas Stations Drop Prices Below $2 As Battle For Customers Continues

Stopping for gas in southeast Michigan earlier this month, you might've seen something rare at the pump: gas prices below $2 a gallon. This came even as statewide averages hovered well above that mark, too. It was the result of a competitive standoff between neighboring gas stations in the Detroit suburb of Warren. A newly opened Sheetz and an adjacent Speedway started undercutting each other to compete for the most local traffic, and it quickly spiraled into a game to see how low the other business was willing to go. (Unfortunately for EV drivers, the same price cuts weren't seen for charging an electric vehicle at Sheetz during this promo period. Nor were there the same changes to diesel.)

The new Sheetz location started it all by posting a regular unleaded price of $1.79 per gallon. The Speedway next door then matched the $1.79 price. While neither price lasted long and they both later climbed back above $2, the two still created huge lines of vehicles at Van Dyke Avenue and 14 Mile Road in Macomb County. Customers using Speedway's rewards program were able to bring the cost down even lower, with some reportedly paying as little as $1.68 per gallon. Who wouldn't wait in line for that?

While the two gas stations changed their prices pretty frequently to stay competitive during this all-out price war, one eyewitness told local news outlet WWJ that fuel prices dropped as low as $1.30 per gallon at one point. WWJ noted that both stations were back up to $2.39 the last its reporters checked, which is still lower than the average cost around town. According to current GasBuddy data, other stations in surrounding Macomb County have the regular octane rating a full 10 cents higher, at around $2.49.

The instigating station, Sheetz, is actually new to the Detroit area. The Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain only has a few other locations in the city and its suburbs but has plans for as many as 50 or 60 more by 2031. Even with its limited locations, it's already being considered one of the best convenience stores in the Midwest. There's another Warren location currently under construction at nearby Mound Road and 12 Mile Road, so it'll be interesting to see if that new spot starts a gas price battle of its own upon opening. (Maybe hold off on camping out there to wait and see just yet, though: The opening date is still TBD.)