US crude rose 43 cents to $45.18 a barrel. The contract fell $2.05, or 4.4%, to close at $44.75 in the previous session.

Crude stockpiles in the US were down less than expected last week, while distillate inventories rose the most since January and gasoline stocks unexpectedly increased, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Wednesday.

The data portrayed a traditionally busy summer driving season beset with unusually weak demand, when many had expected record driving trips amid lower oil prices.

The EIA said crude inventories fell 2.5 million barrels last week, less than the 3 million-barrel drop forecast in a Reuters poll.

The report pressured prices in a market already bearish after the International Energy Agency warned of a global oil glut, saying surging crude stocks have pushed floating storage to seven-year highs.