According to the Newsroom.AAA.com, 16.5  million drivers unnecessarily splurged on premium fuel for their vehicle in 2016. So, U.S. drivers wasted $2.1 billion annually using premium gas in an automobile designed to run on regular gasoline. However, a fact of the matter is that premium gasoline is simply the higher octane (91 – 93 octane), not necessarily the higher quality fuel than regular gasoline (87 octane). AAA test showed that the use of premium gas for the vehicle designed to operate on regular-grade gasoline did not significantly improve horsepower, fuel economy or emissions. In other words, unless the vehicle is designed to operate on premium gas, premium gas does not provide any clear advantages.  Despite a lack of discernible advantages, premium gas is typically 20 – 40 cents a gallon more expensive than regular.

Instead, it is recommended that the driver use a top-tier fuel listed as follows.

Thirty filling stations sell Top Tier Detergent Gasoline in the U.S., including Aloha Petroleum, 76 Stations, Arco, Beacon, Chevron, Conoco, Exxon, Ohana Fuels, Valero, Kwik Trip Express, Mahalo, ARCO, Metro Petro, Beacon, MFA, BP/Amoco Ultimate, Mobil,BP Regular, and OAAI. In Canada, the seven stations selling top-tier fuel are Esso, Chevron Canada, CO-OP, Costco Wholesale, Shell Canada, Tempo and Petro-Canada.  For more details, visit http://www.toptiergas.com/licensedbrands/