I've heard of many people that purchase premium gasoline every so often to clean out their fuel systems of "gunk". Are you one of these people? Or does your car require the use of premium fuel? Let me share why many times buying premium gasoline is a waste.

First, if your car manufacturer requires premium fuel, you should probably purchase it. Running regular gasoline may void your warranty should something major happen. However, if that doesn't deter you, you could likely get by purchasing regular fuel if your vehicle is newer.

The only difference between fuel grades is their octane rating. Regular is typically rated at 85-86 octane while Mid-grade is typically 87-89 and Premium 91-94. These numbers tell you the fuel's anti-knock rating. The higher the number, the less likely your vehicle will experience damaging "pinging" when towing, or accelerating hard.



There is no difference in fuel beyond that, and all fuel requires detergents and additives by the government, so don't be fooled into thinking only premium fuel carries these. Even I used to fill with premium occasionally, thinking it would mean a better performing car, but it's not the case. You will not see any increase in horsepower (unless your car is engineered to run on premium gasoline), and no matter what grade you get, you'll still get engine cleaning detergents and additives.