GasBuddy's Top 10 Gas-Station Brands in the U.S. 2018

BOSTON -- GasBuddy, the developer of the smartphone app that connects more than 70 million drivers with gas stations according to member ratings, has issued its list of the Top 10 Gas Station Brands in the United States for 2018.

• Click here to view GasBuddy's Top 10 Gas-Station Brands in the United States for 2017.

Boston-based GasBuddy’s data science team compiled the findings by examining customer ratings and reviews between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2018, considering only U.S. convenience stores with more than 30 retail locations. Consumers rated the stores by category—cleanliness, coffee, outdoor lighting, restrooms and customer service—which GasBuddy then compiled into a single ranking for each chain.

"Gas may be the primary reason consumers stop at the gas station, but it's everything else that keeps them coming back," said Frank Beard, c-store and retail trends analyst for GasBuddy. "GasBuddy ratings and reviews data show that customer service, food and amenities are the top factors in generating positive reviews. All the brands that made our list this year demonstrate how the industry continues to move toward being a destination for fresh food, clean facilities and excellent customer service."

Here are the top 10 gas-station brands in the United States, according to GasBuddy …

Maverik Inc., known for its Adventure's First Stop brand image, rounded out the top 10 and placed fifth in restroom rankings. The Salt Lake City-based chain has more than 330 gas stations and convenience stores in 11 Western states.

• Maverik was No. 27 in CSP’sTop 202 convenience stores ranking for 2018.

Maverik wasn’t the only chain from Salt Lake City that made the list: 102-year-old Sinclair Oil Corp. finished ninth overall and fourth in customer service. The company owns and operates more than 1,500 locations nationwide, including refineries and gas stations, plus hotels, a ski resort and a cattle ranch.

Holiday Stationstores, a division of Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., Laval, Quebec, placed eighth overall and fifth in gas station coffee. The company has more than 500 locations in Alaska, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

• Couche-Tard was No. 2 in CSP’sTop 202 convenience stores ranking for 2018.

Kwik Fill finished seventh overall and third in customer service. The convenience-store chain has 278 locations in New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania and is owned by United Refining Co., Warren, Pa., an independent refiner and marketer of petroleum products.

• United Refining was No. 22 in CSP’sTop 202 convenience stores ranking for 2018.

Irving Oil Co. took the sixth spot overall on GasBuddy’s list and also placed fourth in cleanliness, second in coffee and third in outdoor lighting. Based in Saint John, New Brunswick, Irving Oil operates Canada’s largest refinery in Saint John and more than 900 gas stations and c-stores and a network of distribution terminals in eastern Canada and New England in the United States.

Westborough, Mass.-based Cumberland Farms took fifth place overall and first for coffee. The company operates more than 550 locations along the Eastern Seaboard, and its newer stores feature the chain’s focus on made-to-order foodservice and technology. In 2014, a blind taste-test revealed that Cumberland Farms coffee tasted just as good as Dunkin' Donuts Original Blend coffee, according to GasBuddy.

• Cumberland Farms was No. 16 in CSP’sTop 202 convenience store ranking for 2018.

Casey’s General Stores Inc., Ankeny, Iowa, finished fourth overall, third in restrooms and fifth in both cleanliness and outdoor lighting. The company operates more than 2,000 stores in the Midwest, 500 of which offer pizza delivery.

• Casey’s was No. 4 in CSP’sTop 202 convenience store rankings for 2018.

Kum & Go LC, Des Moines, Iowa, took the bronze medal in GasBuddy’s overall rankings. The chain also placed third in cleanliness, fifth in customer service and fourth in both outdoor lighting and restrooms. Kyle Krause, the company’s CEO and CSP’s2018 Retail Leader of the Year, leads the team that operates more than 400 Kum & Go stores nationwide.

• Kum & Go was No. 20 in CSP’sTop 202 convenience store rankings for 2018.

Cenex Zip Trip, owned by CHS Inc., Inver Grove Heights, Minn., a global agribusiness owned by farmers, ranchers and cooperatives across the United States, was the runner-up in GasBuddy’s overall rankings. The chain also placed first in customer service, second in cleanliness, restrooms and outdoor lighting, and fourth in coffee. CHS operates nearly 70 Cenex stores in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.

• Cenex was No. 104 in CSP’sTop 202 convenience store rankings for 2018

Kwik Trip Inc., La Crosse, Wis., finished atop the rankings as America’s best gas-station brand. The company also finished first in cleanliness, outdoor lighting and restrooms, second in customer service and third in coffee. Kwik Trip has more than 600 stores in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin and is often considered an innovator in the industry and a top place to work.

• Kwik Trip was No. 14 in CSP’sTop 202 convenience store rankings for 2018.