Refueling fees in Maryland will be reduced under a recent agreement between major rental car companies and Maryland state officials. The measure comes as the average price of regular gasoline has crossed the $4 per gallon mark, the Baltmore Sun reports.

The two sides agreed to reduce refueling fees by about 40 percent on vehicles returned in Maryland with partially full gas tanks.

Hertz, the dominant rental car company at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), had been imposing the highest refueling rates, said Raquel Guillory, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office. Hertz charged BWI customers $7.99 per gallon to refuel on June 4, nearly double the $4 per gallon charged for regular gasoline at a nearby station, she said.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car, which also owns National and Alamo rental car companies, was charging BWI customers $5.20 per gallon to refuel on June 4, the same day Hertz was charging $7.99 and most other major companies charged in the $7-range.

Enterprise never charges customers more than 33 percent of local market rates, per gallon, to refuel its rental cars upon return, Conrad said.

What they charge:

June 4, 2008

Hertz - $7.99/gallon

Avis - $7.89/gallon

Budget - $7.69/gallon

Thrifty/Dollar Rent A Car - $7.19/gallon

Enterprise/National/Alamo - $5.20