‘I’m getting an electric car’: WA gas tax to increase by 6 cents on July 1
Jun 21, 2026, 5:00 AM | Updated: Jun 22, 2026, 8:17 am
Washington’s gas tax will increase by six cents per gallon starting July 1 — the second consecutive increase after nine years without a jump.
“Everybody gets a chance to pay more at the pump. That’s great,” KIRO host John Curley said. “The hike is the most prominent piece of a six-year, $3.2 billion package passed by legislation. Legislators put that in place. Bob Ferguson signed it. Let’s take more and more of your money. In fact, I am so sick of it. I’m going to get an electric car.”
The two-year transportation budget projects a $1 billion shortfall, prompting legislators to increase the state’s gas tax, which is the primary revenue source for Washington’s transportation system.
“I’ve been going back and forth, but I’m getting an electric car,” Curley said. “Nick’s like, ‘You can’t get an electric car.’ Why? ‘Because you’re too irresponsible. You never plug it in.’ I said, ‘I will become responsible.'”
Curley shared that his commute into the city from Cle Elum and back is costing him approximately $60 a day.
By July 1, the increase will make the state’s gas tax go from 49.4 cents to 55.4 cents — the third-highest state gas tax behind California and Pennsylvania.
“This is nuts. I saw a really interesting tweet that went out, and it said the great thing about electric cars is that you can get the energy from anywhere,” Curley said. “Gas-powered cars, you can only get it from one place, and that’s gasoline. But you can get the energy from solar. You can get the energy from hydro. The energy could be created from something, like a battery. You have different sources for it. Brilliant. So I was like, ‘You know what? I’m going to break down and buy one.'”
The state tax on diesel will also climb on July 1 to 58.4 cents, up an additional three cents.
Watch the full discussion in the video above.
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