When you fill up your tank, you don’t really think much about the gasoline that’s going inside. Just choose the correct octane rating for your car, and that’s it, right? Wrong. Which premium fuel you choose can differ wildly in quality, according to the experts.
Total Seal Piston Rings on YouTube breaks down the difference between standard premium fuel and the good stuff you should actually be putting in your car. Legally, all fuels sold in the United States must adhere to the EPA’s Least Additive Concentrate (LAC) mixture, requiring a minimum amount of detergents present in the gasoline.
But there’s another level of higher-quality fuel that goes beyond the bare minimum. It’s a standard called “Top Tier” gasoline, founded by OEMs to promote a healthier blend of available fuel. For a fuel to qualify as Top Tier, it must meet a series of quality levels when it comes to detergent and additives that sit far beyond the EPA’s LAC requirements. Automakers like BMW, Stellantis, General Motors, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Toyota, and Volkswagen all sponsor the development of Top Tier gasoline, according to its dedicated website.
AAA ran an independent study comparing Top Tier gasoline to fuel that simply met the minimum EPA requirements, and it discovered that Top Tier gas left 19 times less deposits on vital engine parts like injectors, valves, and pistons over a 10,000-mile simulation.
Buildup on those components eventually leads to excess fuel dilution in your oil, which is bad, because that leads to more engine wear. More buildup also means less efficiency and performance, so it’s best to minimize it as much as possible. If you’re the type who wants to keep your engine healthy and deposit-free, the benefits of running Top Tier gas are obvious.
Not every gas station offers Top Tier-quality gasoline. But most of the biggest names—Shell, Mobil, Chevron, Sunoco, Exxon, 76, etc.—are all participating retailers. So next time you need to gas up, be sure to check before you hit the pump.