You can expect gas prices to remain elevated. Here's how to save

Consumers have been paying steep prices at the pump for months amid conflict in the Middle East, which triggered an oil supply crisis and pushed gas prices to a four-year high of $4.56 per gallon in late May . But gas prices have eased in recent days, with the national average falling to $3.99 per gallon on Thursday, just days after the U.S. and Iran reached a tentative peace agreement that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow oil tankers to move freely through the critical shipping route. With tensions easing and oil flowing more freely, the big question for drivers is: How much lower will gas prices go and how soon? It's hard to predict exactly when rates will go down to pre-conflict levels. For context, a gallon of gas averaged $2.98 on Feb. 26 , two days before the conflict began, so there's still a long way to go. Experts predict that after months of disruptions, it could take time for the oil industry to rebuild supply chains and restore production, meaning gas prices may not return to their winter levels anytime soon. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy , suggests that the average cost-per-gallon could fall to below $3.75 by July 4 if all goes well, he wrote in an X post on June 14. "But hurricane season could be a major wildcard for the rest of summer- tight global inventories mean it will take months or beyond to fully restore global oil inventories," he added in the post. …