Is Premium Gasoline Worth the Premium?
By Samantha Oller on Sep. 27, 2016ORLANDO, Fla. -- With gasoline prices trending low over the past year, sales of premium grade are up. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that premium sales hit a 13-year high this past June, and the fuel grade has grown close to 12% of total gasoline sales, climbing up from only 7.6% in 2008.
One reason for the uptick: Some consumers are “treating” their regular-grade-certified car with premium, which they assume provides benefits such as higher power, improved fuel economy and lower emissions. According to a survey by AAA, Orlando, Fla., 11% of consumers reported upgrading to premium at least once in the past 12 weeks. On average, they did so at least once per month.
AAA decided to investigate these consumer perceptions of premium, which at the time of the study had a national average 49.3 cents per gallon higher than regular. Was premium worth the premium? Read on for the results.
The methodology
AAA researchers sought to determine whether premium-grade gasoline could benefit a vehicle engine certified to run on regular-grade fuel. To do so, they tested EPA Tier III certified regular and premium-grade gasoline with 10% ethanol in three 2016 model year vehicles—a Toyota Tundra with a V-8 engine, a Dodge Charger SXT with a V-6 engine and a Mazda 3 Grand Touring with an I-4 engine. They then evaluated the fuels in the three vehicle models on three factors: horsepower, fuel economy and emissions.
Horsepower
Researchers ran the three vehicles on city, highway and aggressive driving cycles on a chassis dynamometer. The conclusion: The vehicle engines did not produce any more horsepower when run on premium gasoline than on regular-grade.
“Even the maximum difference recorded is not substantial enough to be noticeable by the driver,” the researchers concluded. “A difference of 3% in maximum horsepower output is not quantifiable from the driver’s seat during normal, even aggressive driving.”
Fuel economy
After conducting chassis dynamometer tests with the three vehicles in the three driving cycles, researchers found that premium-grade gasoline does not improve fuel economy overall. This is noteworthy considering that premium is typically 23% more expensive than regular-grade gasoline. For example, the cost to drive the Tundra 300 miles on premium was more than $10 higher than that for regular.
“From a fuel-cost perspective, the test results do not support spending the extra cost per gallon to put premium in the tank of a vehicle designed for regular gasoline,” the researchers concluded.
Tailpipe emissions
AAA researchers drove the test vehicles through city, highway and aggressive driving cycles on the chassis dynanometer, in multiple trials, and then collected tailpipe emissions.
The findings: There were “no consistent differences” in tailpipe emissions between premium- and regular-grade gasoline.
The conclusion
“Based upon AAA’s testing,” the researchers concluded, “motorists are not treating their vehicle in any meaningful way by using premium when the vehicle is designed to run on regular fuel.” Instead, consumers were wasting an estimated $2.1 billion each year on unnecessary premium gasoline purchases for regular-grade-certified vehicles.
To download the full study, click here.