Americans Waste $2 Billion Each Year Purchasing Pricey Premium Gas
By WESH // September 26, 2016
AAA: Average premium costs about 50-cents a gallon more than regular
(WESH) – Americans wasted over $2 billion last year putting expensive premium gasoline into cars that don’t need it, the automobile ownership group AAA said Tuesday.
Most car engines in America are designed to run on regular gasoline and, despite the superior-sounding name, premium gasoline provides no benefit over cheaper regular gasoline in those engines.
Premium has a higher octane rating than regular gas. That means it’s able to tolerate higher pressures inside the engine. Engines designed to run on regular don’t operate at pressures high enough to require the extra octane, so putting premium fuel into an engine that doesn’t require it is simply a waste of money, AAA said.
“Drivers see the ‘premium’ name at the pump and may assume the fuel is better for their vehicle,” said John Nielsen, AAA’s managing director of Automotive Engineering and Repair. ”
AAA cautions drivers that premium gasoline is higher octane, not higher quality, and urges drivers to follow the owner’s manual recommendations for their vehicle’s fuel.”
Americans spent more $2.1 billion on more expensive fuel for no reason, the group calculated.
About 70% of vehicles now on the road require only regular fuel, AAA said.
Still, about 16.5 million drivers unnecessarily filled up with premium at least once last year, according to AAA.
On average, premium costs about 50 cents a gallon more than regular, AAA said.
