Gas prices will probably be significantly cheaper overall next year. However, according to GasBuddy projections, the national average could still climb back above the $4-a-gallon threshold as soon as May. 

The good news is that GasBuddy doesn’t expect a repeat of this year’s wild swings that at one point sent gas prices above $5 a gallon for the first time ever.

The GasBuddy forecast calls for the daily national average to top out at as high as $4.25 a gallon in August before dropping toward $3 a gallon by the end of the year. The federal government has issued similar projections to GasBuddy’s.