Do you actually get better gas mileage with premium?
Michael King
Updated on March 26, 2026
Do you actually get better gas mileage with premium?
Premium gas gives you more miles per gallon than regular gas. In actual fact, you’ll get a greater range of fuel economy between different brands of regular gas, than you will between the same manufacturer’s regular and premium gasses.
Does 95 octane give better mileage?
Because they have a higher octane rating, the 95 and 98 octane petrols contain slightly more energy and thus will provide a very small increase in fuel economy – but not enough to overcome their extra cost.
Why premium gas is a waste of money?
But what is commonly called “premium gasoline” is a waste of money for countless drivers. That’s because they don’t know what kind of fuel their car is meant to take or because they think they will somehow get better performance or better long-term reliability by using a higher grade of gas.
What does putting higher octane gas do?
Higher octane allows engines to have higher compression ratios (for a more energetic explosion), more advanced ignition timing or forced-air induction like turbochargers or superchargers. They perform best when fed premium fuel.
What are the benefits of higher octane fuel?
Does 98 octane clean the engine?
Octane is the measure of a fuel’s ability to resist the phenomenon known as ‘knocking’, not its cleaning ability. Knocking is the uncontrolled combustion of fuel that can destroy engine internals. But that’s not the sort of ‘dirt’ that fuel companies are talking about.
Which gas gives the best mileage?
premium gas
Premium gives better gas mileage Because premium gas has a higher octane rating than midgrade or regular gas, it produces a little more power when burnt. Designed for performance cars with large, powerful engines, premium also helps minimize the risk of preignition inside highly-stressed, hot engine cylinders.
Which vehicles require premium gas?
15 ‘Regular’ Cars That Take Premium Fuel
- Buick Envision (with 2.0L turbo)
- Buick Regal (all models)
- Buick Regal TourX (all models)
- Chevrolet Equinox (with 2.0-L turbo)
- Chevrolet Malibu (with 2.0-L turbo)
- Fiat 500L (all models)
- GMC Terrain (with 2.0-L turbo)
- Honda Civic (with 1.5-L turbo)
When should you use high octane fuel?
What happens if you put 93 instead of 87?
If you usually fill your tank up with 87-octane gasoline and you accidentally put in a higher octane blend (say, 91, 92, or 93), don’t worry. You’re actually filling your car or truck with a different blend of gas, which means it will burn differently in your engine.
What happens if you put 93 gas instead of 87?
Each engine is designed to run correctly on any fuel above the minimum octane rating. Generally higher compression, and hence higher performance engines run better on higher octane. Octane is resistance to pre ignition or knock. If the engine does not knock on 87 octane, it also will not knock on 93 octane fuel.
Is 98 octane bad for your car?
It can’t hurt your engine if you use a higher octane fuel. So, for example, if you use 95 or 98 in an engine designed for 91, that’s OK. However, it’s not acceptable to put in a lower octane fuel than the minimum recommended by the manufacturer. Using 91 in an engine designed for 95 or 98 is potentially destructive.