Commercial fleets continued purchasing roughly the same amount of fuel despite a significant increase in prices during 2026, according to a new report from WEX.

The company released its first WEX Index: The Fleet and Mobility Spend Report, examining fuel purchasing patterns, spending risks, and vehicle electrification opportunities from January through September 2026.

The report draws on WEX's proprietary transaction data rather than survey responses. While the company's Mobility segment serves more than 600,000 customers, the findings reflect activity within its customer base and may not represent the broader commercial fleet industry.

Fuel Prices Climbed While Consumption Remained Flat

According to WEX, the average U.S. fuel price in its data increased approximately 43% in the third quarter of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, climbing from $3.38 to $4.85 per gallon. Despite the increase, gallons purchased remained essentially unchanged.

"Fleets can't control the price of fuel, but they can control how they respond to it," said Melissa Smith, CEO and president of WEX. "The WEX Index gives the mobility sector a fixed point of reference built from real transactions by real fleets."

For vocational fleets, where vehicles must continue reaching jobsites and completing service calls regardless of fuel prices, reducing mileage isn't always an option.

Where Fleets May Be Overspending on Fuel

The report identified several areas where commercial fleets may have opportunities to reduce expenses:

• Fuel purchasing locations: WEX found that 38.1% of North American local commercial fleets paid above its local Fuel Price Index benchmark, while 25.8% paid below it.
• Premium gasoline purchases: Premium accounted for 7.6% of gasoline fill-ups across five major industries, with an average price difference of 78 cents per gallon. WEX estimated up to $86.9 million in potential savings from avoiding unnecessary premium purchases in vehicles that don't require it.
• Unusual spending patterns: Among fleets with five or more drivers, 81.4% had at least one driver whose fuel spending was higher than the fleet average. While this does not indicate fraud, WEX noted that spending differences may warrant further review.

Differences in routes, vehicle types, equipment operation, and job requirements can also affect fuel spending.

EV Replacement Opportunities Vary by Vehicle

WEX also evaluated 8,798 vehicles for potential electric vehicle replacement. The company recommended 27% for electrification, with modeled average lifetime total cost of ownership savings of $16,595, or approximately 15%, for those recommended replacements.

These figures represent modeled savings for vehicles identified in WEX's analysis rather than projected savings for all commercial fleets. As always, actual costs depend on vehicle applications, operating requirements, and other fleet-specific factors.

WEX plans to publish future editions of the Index to track changes in commercial fleet spending and purchasing behavior.

The full report is available at WEX Index: The Fleet and Mobility Spend Report.

Editor's Note: Work Truck has reached out to WEX for additional insights into what these findings mean for vocational fleets. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.