Buying premium gas hit you feel like you ’re give your car kale instead of hamburger . Take care of it , and it ’ll take tending of you . But for many Americans , buying that kale ’s just a openhanded waste of money – because despite what you think , your car ’s designed to run on hamburger .
A recentstudy conducted by AAAfound that American driver are unnecessarily spend upwards of $ 2 billion annually on premium gasoline , as the absolute majority of Americans who use agio , 93 - octane fuel drive cars that do n’t even require it . According to AAA , 16.5 million drivers have bought premium gas in the last year , but just 16 % of them ram motorcar that actually need it .
Seventy percentage of motorists have cars that require regular , 87 - octane fuel – so if you ’re in this bivouac , and still use premium , you ’re contribute funds to a $ 2 billion void , and your car is n’t even profit .
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Notably , AAA say that while “ insurance premium ” sounds nice , the petrol is n’t higher quality , it ’s higher octane . “ AAA cautions driver that agio petrol is high octane , not higher quality , and urges driver to follow the owner ’s manual recommendations for their vehicle ’s fuel , ” John Nielsen , AAA ’s handle director of Automotive Engineering and Repair , said in a statement .
AAA found that when premium grade fuel was pump into dissimilar cars that ask regular gas , no advance was found in term of performance . The vehicle , all of which had engine varying between 4 , 6 , and 8 - cylinder , were quiz on a ergometer , “ which is essentially a treadmill for cars that is designed to measure out horsepower , fuel economy and tailpipe expelling when using both fuel types , ” grant to AAA .
Megan McKernan , handler of the Automobile Club of Southern California ’s Automotive Research Center , said : “ AAA ’s trial reveal that there is no welfare to using premium gasoline in a vehicle that call for regular fuel … Premium gasoline is specifically explicate to be compatible with specific types of locomotive engine blueprint and most vehicle can not take reward of the gamey octane rating . ”
If this is disheartening tidings , do n’t despair , but do discontinue shelling out unneeded John Cash . AAA recommends stick to TOP TIER fuel – which is endorsed by many global auto manufacturer as the global touchstone . In the meanwhile , deflect cheap , off - brand gasolineand give your automobile the fuel it mostly in all probability deserves , which is far cheaper , anyway .