Ethereum Gas Fees Drops to $0.01 After 5 Years

For users, the impact is immediate. Everyday transactions feel frictionless again. For developers, Ethereum has quietly regained an edge as a cost-efficient execution layer rather than an expensive settlement chain. However, there is a trade-off. Lower gas fees also mean lower ETH burn under EIP-1559, raising fresh questions about long-term value capture for the asset itself.

Why Ethereum Gas Fees Suddenly Became This Cheap

This fee collapse is not accidental. It is the cumulative result of several scaling decisions finally compounding.

The Fusaka upgrade in December 2025 increased the gas limit from 45 million to 60 million, materially expanding throughput without compromising security. Before that, Dencun (2024) introduced data blobs, pushing large volumes of activity to Layer 2s, while Pectra (May 2025) optimized execution and prepared Ethereum for stateless clients.

At the same time, Layer 2 networks such as Base, Arbitrum, and Optimism now handle a significant share of transaction volume. Much of the fee revenue that once burned ETH is instead captured by sequencers. That shift explains why fees can stay low even as usage rises.

Macro factors also play a role for Ethereum gas fees. Post-2025 market cooling, ETF outflows, and tax-related selling reduced speculative congestion. Yet developer activity has not slowed. In fact, some Layer 2s now process millions of transactions per day, highlighting a network that is scaling through efficiency rather than demand destruction.

What to Watch Next as Ethereum Enters Ultra-Low-Fee Mode

Several milestones will determine whether this low-fee era persists. Mid-2026 is expected to bring the Glamsterdam upgrade, focused on parallel execution and expanded blob capacity. February’s All-Core Devs calls will also signal near-term priorities. Votes around validator reward structures, EIP implementations, and zkEVM security upgrades are expected in Q2. Vitalik Buterin’s roadmap also targets privacy layers and quantum-resistant infrastructure by late 2026. Watch for a rebound in ETF inflows post-tax season and confirmation that low fees are not masking validator centralization risks. Reduced ETH burn remains a long-term concern. A sudden surge in activity without corresponding upgrades could push fees higher again. Conversely, a smooth Glamsterdam rollout may lock in Ethereum’s position as both scalable and affordable.

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