In the week to August 7, US gasoline consumption hit the highest level last seen in March at 8.7 million bpd, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
However, compared to the same period of 2019, demand was still down by almost 1 million bpd.
More people, noticeably in California and Texas, have been more into driving.
Other than gasoline, demand for diesel was also posted at the highest level since April 3 as trucks were more active in response to the soar in online orders affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Reacting to the jump in consumption, US refiners have been ramping up crude processing. So far in August, the refinery utilization rate climbed to 81% from early June’s 73%.
Looking ahead, analysts warned that the recovery might be dimmed as summer is coming to a close.
