Business Wire·Nov 10, 2026, 10:08 AM ET

WEX® Launches New WEX Index®, Revealing How the Mobility Fleet Sector Navigated the 2026 Fuel Price Surge

WEX launched the WEX Index, a fleet & mobility spend report utilizing proprietary data from 600,000+ customers to benchmark fuel spending, risk, & mixed-energy planning for January through September 2026.
Average U.S. fuel prices rose approximately 43% in Q3 2026 from $3.38 to $4.85 per gallon, while total gallons pumped remained essentially flat.
38.1% of North American commercial fleets paid more than the local WEX Fuel Price Index benchmark for fill-ups.
Premium fuel transactions accounted for 7.6% of volume with an average cost gap of $0.78 per gallon, representing up to $86.9 million in potential savings for vehicles not requiring that grade.
Phishing attacks targeting the industry increased 1,265% since Q4 2022, & 81.4% of fleets with five or more drivers had at least one driver exceeding their fleet's average fuel spending.
Analysis of 8,798 vehicles found 27% recommended for EV replacement, which could save an average of $16,595 (15% of costs) over a vehicle's service life.
The report outlines five practices for fleets: set a baseline, compare fueling against local benchmarks, focus on key metrics, assess mixed-energy options, & revisit baselines as conditions change.
Future editions of the WEX Index will compare against this baseline to allow fleets to track progress against industry figures.