The last fill-up before a rental return is where Washington travelers overpay twice: once because the stations nearest the airports price for people in a hurry, and once because the region straddles three tax jurisdictions and the difference between filling in the District and filling in Maryland or Virginia can be 25 cents a gallon. Reagan National has no gas on the property and almost none nearby, Dulles is ringed by Route 28 suburbia, and BWI’s rental facility sits two miles from a Costco. This guide covers today’s AAA averages for all three jurisdictions, the stations near each rental return, and the rental and Turo fuel rules.
Updated October 22, 2026
Current averages
| Grade | Washington metro (entire metro) | Washington (DC only) | Washington (VA only) | Washington (MD only) | Baltimore metro | US national average | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | $4.19 | $4.38 | $4.20 | $4.14 | $4.02 | $4.27 | Oct 22, 2026 (VA figures Oct 21) | AAA |
| Premium | $5.13 | $5.39 | $5.11 | $5.13 | $4.91 | $5.18 | Oct 22, 2026 (VA figures Oct 21) | AAA |
| Diesel | $6.38 | $6.51 | $6.38 | $6.39 | $6.34 | $6.32 | Oct 22, 2026 (VA figures Oct 21) | AAA |
State averages for reference: Virginia $4.11, Maryland $4.05 and the District $4.38 for regular. The District is the most expensive of the three by a wide margin; Baltimore is the cheapest metro in the table.
Stations near the airport
We do not quote per-station prices because they change hourly; check GasBuddy, Waze or the AAA app a few miles out.
Reagan National (DCA): rentals return to the Rental Car Center in Garage A, 2500 National Ave., Arlington; follow signs for “Car Rental Returns.” There are no stations on the airport, so the choice is the US-1 corridor in Crystal City and Potomac Yard or Glebe Road.
- Exxon (Crystal City Exxon), 2300 Jefferson Davis Hwy. (US-1), Arlington: the closest station to DCA, open 24 hours, listed on Exxon’s own locator.
- Shell, 3216 Richmond Hwy. (US-1), Alexandria: Potomac Yard, for travelers coming up from Old Town.
- Shell, 1600 Mt. Vernon Ave., and Exxon, 1601 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria: facing each other in Del Ray, a block off US-1.
- Exxon, 2720 S. Glebe Rd., Arlington: Glebe Road near I-395 Exit 7, for travelers arriving on 395.
Dulles (IAD): all rental lots are on Autopilot Drive; follow the airport’s “Rental Car Return” signs, then ride the company shuttle to the terminal. The Route 28 and Route 606 (Old Ox Road) corridor in Sterling is the natural last stop.
- Shell, 45410 Holiday Dr., and Sheetz, 45550 Dulles Plaza, Sterling: both at Route 28 and Old Ox Road, minutes from Autopilot Drive.
- Exxon, 22605 Glenn Dr., and Exxon, 23050 Pacific Blvd., Sterling: off Route 28 at Route 606.
- Wawa, 23055 Oakgrove Rd., Sterling: Old Ox Road at Oakgrove.
- Sunoco, 200 Davis Dr., Sterling: Route 28 at Davis Drive.
- Costco Chantilly, 14390 Chantilly Crossing Ln., Chantilly (warehouse club, membership required): off Route 28 south near Route 50, roughly 5 to 6 miles from the return; gas station confirmed on costco.com. Costco Sterling on Route 7 also has gas but is 8 to 9 miles north.
BWI: rentals return to the Consolidated Rental Car Facility at 7432 New Ridge Rd., Hanover, at Stoney Run Road; follow the highway directional signs. The one station we could verify this update is a warehouse club:
- Costco Arundel Mills, 7077 Arundel Mills Cir., Hanover (warehouse club, membership required): off Arundel Mills Boulevard and MD-100, about 2 to 3 miles from the rental facility; gas station confirmed on costco.com, open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays. Non-members should use GasBuddy or Waze along Aviation Boulevard (MD-170) and Ridge Road, where several brand stations cluster; we will add verified addresses in a future update.
Rental refuel rules
Every counter offers the same three options. Return it full and you pay only the pump price. Prepay a tank and you forfeit whatever is left: Avis says “no credit or refund will be given for unused fuel in the tank,” and Enterprise says prepaid fuel is sold only in full tanks and is not refundable. Let the agency refuel and you pay its local per-gallon rate plus a service charge. Prepaid only wins if you are certain to return on fumes.
Keep the receipt. Avis’s EZFuel rule charges customers who drive fewer than 75 miles a flat fee unless they fill up and present a fuel receipt at return, and a DCA rental used only inside the Beltway can easily stay under 75 miles. On Turo, the host’s listing sets the fuel policy; Turo’s help center tells guests to refill to the check-in level and to photograph the fuel gauge at check-in and checkout, since hosts have 72 hours to invoice for missing fuel plus a $10 inconvenience fee and the photos decide a dispute.
Local quirks
The quirk is the border. AAA breaks the Washington metro into DC-only, Virginia-only and Maryland-only averages, and in the table above the District runs about 18 cents above the Virginia suburbs and 24 cents above the Maryland suburbs for regular. All three airports are outside the District, so you should never fill up downtown before returning a car: cross the river first. DCA travelers coming from the Mall or Capitol Hill should wait for Crystal City; IAD travelers should fill in Sterling or Chantilly; and BWI is in Maryland, where Baltimore-area prices are the lowest in the region. For choosing between the three airports in the first place, see DCA vs. IAD vs. BWI for award travelers, and for where to stay, Washington, D.C. on Points.
Pay with the right card
Whichever side of the Potomac you fill on, the last tank should earn you points. Gas stations are a bonus category on several Chase Freedom cards, and the points move to Chase Ultimate Rewards. If you are adding a card, you can apply through our Chase referral link for the Chase Freedom cards.
Disclosure: This is our personal Chase referral link. If you’re approved through it, we may earn a referral bonus, at no extra cost to you. You can always apply directly on Chase’s website. See our Advertising & Referral Disclosure.
Our take
DCA: the Crystal City Exxon on US-1, because there is nothing closer. IAD: the Route 28 and Old Ox cluster, or Costco Chantilly for members with 15 minutes to spare. BWI: Costco Arundel Mills for members, GasBuddy on MD-170 for everyone else. Never fill in the District on the way to any of the three, decline prepaid fuel, keep the receipt, and photograph the gauge.
Sources
- AAA Fuel Prices, District of Columbia and Washington metro averages, AAA Fuel Prices, Virginia, AAA Fuel Prices, Maryland and Baltimore, AAA Fuel Prices, national average
- Reagan National, rental cars, Enterprise DCA location (Garage A)
- Dulles International, rental cars
- BWI Marshall, rental cars
- Exxon locator, Crystal City Exxon, Shell Richmond Hwy. listing, Shell Mt. Vernon Ave. listing, Exxon Mt. Vernon Ave. listing, Exxon Arlington listings
- Shell Holiday Dr. listing, Exxon Glenn Dr. listing, The Burn, Sheetz at Route 28 and Old Ox, The Burn, Wawa on Oakgrove Rd.
- Costco Chantilly, Costco Sterling, Costco Arundel Mills
- Avis fuel plans, Enterprise fuel options FAQ
- Turo, returning a vehicle and checking out, Turo, refueling invoices for guests
Prices change daily; the averages above are as of the dates shown. Points Capital is not a financial advisor.
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