AAA Says Think Twice Before Getting Cheap Gas

Fuel cap (Credit: Chevrolet)

Getting cheap gas can cost you, or at least that’s what AAA says after testing different brands of fuel. How bad can cheap gas be for your car? Let’s just say some tests showed 19 times more carbon deposits would be left behind in the engine after combusting certain cheap stuff.

That should be enough to cause some problems, especially if you use those kinds of gasoline regularly. AAA says it found that with some gasolines, only 4,000 miles of driving started to affect power, fuel economy, etc.

Unfortunately, we don’t know which cheap gasolines are loaded with garbage, because AAA isn’t disclosing that info. Big name brands like Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Shell and Conoco were found to have quite a bit more detergent in the mix than other brands, safeguarding against buildup.

So there you have it: if you care about your car and performance (including fuel economy) you need to go with big name brand fuel as much as possible. We’ve heard this before, and there are plenty of people who’ve doubted these claims. AAA is a pretty reputable organization, so this at least should make you stop and think. Or you could switch to an EV and stop worrying about gas completely.