Regular Gas vs. Premium Gas | Consumer Reports

Think expensive gas means increased power and better fuel economy? Consumer Reports reveals what you need to know before you fill up at the pump.

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[brandonblack]

i put premium on my lawn mower it now mows twice as fast

[birderjohn]

Read your owners manual, put in what it asks for.
End of story.

[Layput]

I use 98 octane which is twice as expensive as 95 octane and I can really notice a huge difference. The engine is not as noisy and the car accelerates much more aggressively and smoothly. Plus when i peek into the combustion chamber, the surfaces of the chamber is almost immaculate. If I ever notice a drop in acceleration, I clean the air filter and use the Abro fuel injector cleaner. It is cheaper than Chevron Techron and really does increase the performance.

You can't convince me otherwise.

[davinp]

Don't waste money buying premium gas when your car requires regular gas. Check your owner's manual. Usually, only the more expensive, larger or luxury sedans require premium

[stardave]

Have you done an engine tear down to see the effects on the engine after long term use of regular vs premium?

[mithicash]

2016 Nissan Sentra here. Used regular gas from random gas stations for the first 2 years. For that last year and a half, I have been strictly using Costco Premium. Change from Regular gas from random gas stations to Regular from Costco increased my mpg by about 20%. When I went from Costco Regular to Costco Premium probably another 10% mpg plus my engine became much quieter and smoother including better acceleration. Moral of the story, there definitely is a difference between the quality of gasoline between different brands of gas stations, there is also a difference between regular and premium. I have even been asked if my car was a hybrid/electric due to how quietly it idles. PS: My UM recommends 87.

[nayudusrini]

I am not sure what kind of cars Consumer reports really tested with Regular Gas vs Premium. Quite few cars take advantage of Premium (high Octane rating) in delivering more performance and delivering more mileage, esp cars with variable valve timing. If you read some of the Honda and Mazda statements, they do quote different Horse power ratings with Premium Gas. This is considerable amount of change. Several years ago I mistakenly filled my relatively new car with Premium and did not know I filled premium. I felt real gain in acceleration(also felt smoother) and surprisingly 10% plus gas mileage increase. I was not sure why. Next stop on return trip I filled at the same gas station usual regular grade. With in few minutes of driving I can see the difference how car is not accelerating as smooth as before, and saw decline in mileage also. Scratching my head, after going home while filing away my gas receipts, saw difference price per gallon, which turned out to be because of premium fill. But this alone did not convince me, because I know there is no difference in energy density of Regular vs Premium and car does not recommend or require premium. So after that I tested various combinations and found most of times the additional cost of Premium gas is covered by additional mileage I am getting. Did same test another car, which gained little in mileage or performance but not enough to cover the cost of difference.

So moral of the story is, don't take Consumer reports as gospel and what they tell may/may not apply to your car or situation. Experiment your self, and know the difference and use your judgment.
Initially I did not believe Premium would make any difference as there is no energy density difference, and unless the car is capable of leveraging additional compression ratio/knock resistance. A mistake gave me opportunity to explore and realize this.

[BLacknesmonstaz]

I'm glad Mike uses the proper terminology "fuel"
And not gas.
Bravo

[rbrauto]

JUST PISSED IN MY TANK. I'LL SEE IF ALL THAT JOHNNIE WALKER BLACK UPS MY PERFORMANCE AND MPG.

[TimJoseph]

If your car has a turbocharger, supercharger, or a naturally aspirated engine with a higher compression ratio, such as Mazda SKY-ACTIV engine, then you have to use premium gasoline, even if the manual says use regular.

[the_batmobile.]

My personal experiences I find my car accelerates faster with premium gas ...

[LuckyDuckie]

I'll save more by not going to Starbucks once a week

[Trades]

Waiting for that guy who claims his Mercedes runs fine on 87 octane...

[TheAdventureAuto]

A lot of times vehicles are advertised as having a certain horsepower number when using regular, and a higher horsepower number when using premium. Did you test those vehicles to see if it is accurate? And does the cars computer take time to adjust to the different ratings. Did you give the computer enough time to adjust when doing your tests? I tried using regular in a vehicle that said premium was recommended(ND Miata), and it felt so incredibly sluggish that I immediately went back to premium.

[AH-bmts]

So that's why the clubs only have 2 grades, regular and premium. That's all stations need and I remember a 7-11 gas station in Texas had several grades to pick from like the pump thought it was a soda fountain.

[josephlim]

In Canada, consumer experts ran the same numbers and resulted in same result as you did. And they noted on the wording on the Gas cap as a simple guideline. However, my Audi A3 2.0T gas cap read Required. But when I pulled out my owners manual. It suggest to use 91 but you can use 87. The only issue with the lower octane is you may not be getting the optimal performance. So I just use 87 but if I’m going onto some spirited back roads driving, I could use 91.

[motsorejola]

Why am i watching this, I don’t even have a car

[PabloGonzalez-hvtd]

Technically speaking an engine's compression ratio objectively determines the requirement for premium because its higher octane properties prevent detonation or "knocking" which can quickly damage an engine and higher compression engines therefore require premium.

Any turbocharged engine should use at least mid grade although knock sensors can allow the use of regular by altering ignition timing this comes at a cost of power and mileage.

It's best to follow manufacturer's directions.

[AlAl-wump]

I use 87 in my Mercedes 2021 GLC300 with 43, 675 miles on it and drive back and forth from S.C. to N.J. It runs great at 80 MPH no pinging ( the computer will adjust the timing and the compression is low enough for it) had the oil analyzed and it was good. You decide.

[Iceflkn]

If power and mileage fail to change, what about engine life, wear and tear?