The AAA made a research on U.S. vehicle owners and their behavior at the refueling station and discovered that the past year had seen a waste of $2.1 billion on premium gas by using it instead of regular.
The study showed that 16.5 million drivers used premium fuel in their cars at least once a month in the last year, even though their vehicles only required regular gas to operate.
They have accomplished nothing positive by using premium gasoline instead of regular, and have wasted the difference between the two grades, which has added up to an estimated $2.1 Billion. It is crucial to note that this waste only comes from those that have cars that their manufacturers recommend to use the “Regular” grade of gasoline, but that have decided to buy the “Premium” kind instead.
The situation is like feeding caviar to a pig. It will not appreciate the difference, but you will feel it in your expenses. It is that simple.
As the AAA has already noted, there is no benefit for owners of vehicles that can run on regular to use premium gas. The same goes for those that use mid-grade gasoline, which has an octane rating of 89, and switches to the premium variety, which offers between 91 and 93. American customers are not the only ones wasting money with the regular or premium problem, as Europeans do it too.
In the case of Europe, most modern vehicles run on gasoline that has an octane rating of 95, while premium gasoline provides anything between 97 and 102 octanes. If the marking on the gas cap says that your car uses “Regular,” or specifies an octane rating, just use that.
Only buy premium gas if your vehicle requires it, or if a regular model was modified extensively, thus requiring higher grade gasoline. If no marking is present, check the user manual.
Representatives of Ford and General Motors contacted by The New York Times have confirmed that there is no performance benefit for cars that run on “Regular” after switching to “Premium.”
The only exception comes when a heavy load is put on the car, or if it is operated in “arid conditions.” Otherwise, you are fine with Regular if your vehicle’s gas cap says that is what is best for it.
Do not go against decades of research and engineering, and avoid splurging on premium gas when your car does not need it. It is worth noting that it is more important where you get your gas than its octane rating. However, focus on Top Tier gasoline instead of fuel from generic stations.
They have accomplished nothing positive by using premium gasoline instead of regular, and have wasted the difference between the two grades, which has added up to an estimated $2.1 Billion. It is crucial to note that this waste only comes from those that have cars that their manufacturers recommend to use the “Regular” grade of gasoline, but that have decided to buy the “Premium” kind instead.
The situation is like feeding caviar to a pig. It will not appreciate the difference, but you will feel it in your expenses. It is that simple.
As the AAA has already noted, there is no benefit for owners of vehicles that can run on regular to use premium gas. The same goes for those that use mid-grade gasoline, which has an octane rating of 89, and switches to the premium variety, which offers between 91 and 93. American customers are not the only ones wasting money with the regular or premium problem, as Europeans do it too.
In the case of Europe, most modern vehicles run on gasoline that has an octane rating of 95, while premium gasoline provides anything between 97 and 102 octanes. If the marking on the gas cap says that your car uses “Regular,” or specifies an octane rating, just use that.
Only buy premium gas if your vehicle requires it, or if a regular model was modified extensively, thus requiring higher grade gasoline. If no marking is present, check the user manual.
Representatives of Ford and General Motors contacted by The New York Times have confirmed that there is no performance benefit for cars that run on “Regular” after switching to “Premium.”
The only exception comes when a heavy load is put on the car, or if it is operated in “arid conditions.” Otherwise, you are fine with Regular if your vehicle’s gas cap says that is what is best for it.
Do not go against decades of research and engineering, and avoid splurging on premium gas when your car does not need it. It is worth noting that it is more important where you get your gas than its octane rating. However, focus on Top Tier gasoline instead of fuel from generic stations.