Regular or Premium?
Quite often people ask us if they should be using Regular or Premium fuel in their cars, and as much as we would like to have a clear answer for you, there isn’t one. The quality of the fuel that is needed is actually determined by your car, so we need to ask it the question. Since your car can’t talk, it means we need to take a look at the owners manual.
In the owners manual you will find a page that states what your needs, that’s right “needs”. It will state what is the minimum octane required. If it’s an imported car or a high end car such as a BMW or Mercedes Benz it is very likel that it will need premium, but you might be surprised. Some high end cars only need 87 octane, which is regular.
If you are thinking, “Ahh, I will just use premium, it’s better” well you still better check your owners manual. Some cars have a maximum octane level due to how the engine is built, and using higher octane fuel could actually damage your car.
So the answer is not always “Premium is better” it’s “Use what the manual tells you to use”. In fact, you better use what’s recommended or your engine either won’t last as long as it is supposed to, or it will suffer on performance.
Since we are on the topic of fuel, we want to share a couple more tips with you.
- Use the recommended octane level that your owners manual states. Not more, not less.
- Never use the gas station when the truck that brings the fuel in is unloading. (They stir up the bottom of the gas stations fuel reservoirs and you are more likely to get sediment in your fuel)
- Do NOT overfill. That means when you hear that first click, stop! Don’t try to squeeze in an extra litre. It messes with your tanks pressure and could lead to issues with your fuel pump.
- Use a stations like Shell. They don’t compromise on their fuel quality and you are sure to get consistent quality.
- If you are filling up with premium, try to find a pump that you know was used as a premium fill right before you got there. You can tell by diving the price the last person paid by the amount of litres they filled up. This gets you an extra litre or two of premium fuel since the hose fits quite a lot inside of it.
- And in the winter, don’t leave your car with an empty tank. Condensation forms easier this way and could cause issues in the cold months.
Mechanics know this stuff, but the average person might now. So this blog helps us professionals share our wealth of knowledge with you, our customer. Well we hope that you will be our customer ;) Next time your car needs service, come give Top Gear London a try. As always, drive safe!