There's no single "best" premium fuel; it depends on your car's needs, but Premium 98 Octane is the highest grade for performance, while brands like BP 98 and Shell V-Power 98 are often cited for quality additives, though ensuring your car needs 98 (check manual) and buying from newer/busier stations for freshness are key, as base fuel quality standards are similar across brands.
Brands like Chevron, Shell, ExxonMobil, BP, and Texaco are recognized for selling Top Tier gasoline, which meets higher detergent and performance standards set by major automakers, including Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, Toyota, and General Motors.
In Australia, the octane ratings top out at 98 for premium unleaded, before stepping down to 95 premium unleaded, E10 (94 octane) and standard 91 octane unleaded. The octane ratings of petrol available elsewhere may differ. What's the octane rating?
Premium fuels (95 & 98) contain more detergents, which help prevent carbon build-up. But if your car only needs 91, filling up with 98 occasionally won't make a huge difference. If you want to clean your fuel system, you're better off using a dedicated fuel system cleaner rather than paying extra for premium fuel.
If you put 91 octane fuel in a car that requires 95 (or higher), you risk engine knocking (pinging), which can cause power loss, poor acceleration, reduced fuel economy, and, if done long-term or under heavy load, potential engine damage, as the lower octane fuel ignites too early under compression, but modern cars with knock sensors can often adjust timing to prevent immediate harm, making a single mistake less critical than continuous use.
There is Regular Unleaded (91RON), E10 Unleaded which increases the octane rating to 94RON, as it is mixed with between 9-10% ethanol, 95RON octane rating Unleaded and lastly 98RON octane rating Unleaded, which usually includes additives that can 'clean' internal parts of the engine to improve fuel consumption and long ...
The difference between them lies in their ability to withstand the internal compression of the engine. Higher octane rating: The engine runs more smoothly and efficiently. The available power is better utilized.
Vehicles that specify 98 are engineered to extract measurable performance and smoother operation when supplied with that higher octane. For standard vehicles that call for 95, routinely using 98 rarely gives enough benefit to justify the extra cost unless the engine has been retuned by a reputable tuner.
Shell and BP both offer high-quality fuels with proprietary detergent additives, but Shell's V-Power is often cited by enthusiasts for superior cleaning, while BP's Invigorate® also removes engine deposits; the real difference often comes down to personal experience and specific vehicle needs, with some reporting better performance with Shell's premium fuel and others with BP's, but many experts say using the correct octane grade (like 98) from any major brand provides similar benefits over generic fuel.
Shell V-Power is formulated with powerful cleaning agents to help prevent the build-up of gunk on key fuel system components, such as fuel injectors and inlet valves*.
Generally the most readily available type of fuel in Australia, regular unleaded petrol has an octane rating of 91. While it doesn't have the octane rating of premium unleaded fuels, regular unleaded is cheaper at the bowser, making it suitable for petrol-run cars that don't have high-performance requirements.
Shell V-Power 98 is a premium 98 octane unleaded fuel, designed to provide both performance and efficiency benefits, increasing the power available at the wheels.
In the USA their Standard fuel is rated at 87 Ron and Premium is 91 ron, and in Australia Standard is rated at 91 ron and Premium is 95 ron.
Higher-octane fuels can stand more compression before automatically combusting. New Shell V-Power unleaded is a 99RON octane fuel. By comparison, regular Shell unleaded is 95RON. New Shell V-Power unleaded -the power of high octane.
Yes! Costco's gas is high-quality, and it even meets Top Tier performance standards, meaning it's a brand you can definitely trust.
Premium gasoline is generally considered any type of gasoline with an octane level of 91 or greater, with 91 octane and 93 octane being the most common versions of premium gasoline available at gas stations in the United States (93 octane gasoline may be called “ultra” or “super-premium” in some cases).
Top Gas Stations for High-Quality Fuel
Basically, it is still fine changing to another fuel if just for one time filling only during an empty tank situation. The reason is, all types of fuel have the same constituent elements on the hydrocarbon chain, so it is relatively safe if 1-2 types of fuel mixed in one tank.
Shell V- Power® NiTRO+ has six times the cleaning agents as federal standards require, so it can remove baked-in deposits left by lower-quality premium gasoline starting with the very first tank. And with continual use, Shell V-Power® NiTRO+ can help prevent future buildup of those same performance-robbing deposits.
XP 95 gave a better ride quality and smoothness with reduced knocking, but not upto the level of Shell V Power. My preference is Shell V Power for the smoother ride it provides. Any 95 octane fuel is good for this engine, so don't worry about the brand.
Engine Protection
98 petrol, which is more stable and resistant to 'knocking', is a better choice when it comes to engine protection. 95 petrol works as well, but if your engine is powerful, it will use higher pressures that 95 petrol may not be able to withstand.
Unleaded fuels
Shell V-Power 98 is a premium 98 octane unleaded fuel, designed to provide both performance and efficiency benefits, increasing the power available at the wheels. Available at Shell Coles Express and selected Shell branded sites.
In terms of all the cleaners and additives, there is no difference between premium and regular. Premium has a high octane rating , which will prevent predetonation on higher compression ratio vehicles. If your car is designed to run regular, there is ZERO benefit to putting premium in it.
It is ok to mix them. You won't notice any difference. Mix up your own 91 if you want. Part 93, part 87 or 91.
Gasoline octane can vary by state, but at Costco, it's typically 87 octane for Regular and 91 octane for Premium Gasoline. Q: Where does Costco get its fuel?