How to choose the right fuel type for your car?

Do you often get confused about which fuel type should you use for our car? Well, fuels for cars come in different flavours and each type can lead to different consequences. An incompatible fuel type may even sometimes result into some severe repercussions like blowing up your car’s engine and thus, may ultimately require you to pay frequent visits to the car service stations!  
Acquainting with fuel types
The quality of fuel is categorized by its octane rating. Octane rating relates to the fuel’s resistance power before it completely burns out in the engine (or, resistance to pre- ignition). The approved fuel grades that you would find in Australia are:
  1. Unleaded Standard (Octane 91)
This is the standard fuel in Australia that is supported by most popular car models. Both local and Japanese vehicles recommend using Octane 91 fuel types.
  1. Premium Unleaded (Octane 95 and Octane 98)
Octane 95 is a good mid- range performance fuel that is supported by many small turbo cars. They are not only more expensive than Octane 91 and E10, but are also difficult to find. On the other hand, the Octane 98 fuel type is designed to give you the ultimate performance and is also structured to keep your engine clean. Most high performance cars recommend using Octane 98 fuel type.
  1. Ethanol Blended E10
Often cheaper than the Octane 91 fuel type; the E10 has a 10% energy dependency on ethanol and 90% on unleaded petrol. However, the E10 fuel type is not compatible with many cars and is also known to hamper the fuel economy (due to the blending) when compared to other fuel types.
E85 is the latest addition which consists of an ethanol blending of 50-85%. E85 is compatible with flex fuel supported performance vehicles and can be easily found in United Petroleum.
In addition to petrol driven cars, diesel, biodiesel and LPG based cars are not uncommon in Australia. These fuels are much cheaper than petrol. Most modern diesel based cars are improvised for better fuel economy and high performance. Diesel cars with features such as turbo, common rail and direct injection are designed to give premium performance.
Understanding your car’s requirements
Your owner’s manual says it all. If the manual says that your car is designed for a 91 octane gasoline fuel, there’s no point wasting your money on high grade premium fuels. You can also see the recommended fuel type for your car on the fuel flap opening.
Look for the word - ‘recommended’. If your manual mentions that a particular type of fuel is recommended over the cheaper grade, then you should preferably fill in the premium grade fuel and try not to revert to the basics. By doing this, you can increase your car’s performance and may also get better fuel economy.
Things to Remember
  • If you use a lower octane rated fuel than recommended, then you may experience a loss of power and acceleration, reduced fuel economy and experience pinging and knocking.
  • If your car pings or knocks due to usage of a wrong fuel type, you can use octane boosters or fuel flushers to save your car from the drastic effects.
  • Ask a qualified car mechanic to get the best advice on which type of fuel should you use for your car. If you want to be safe from an explosion, you must consult your car mechanic while your car’s engine pings or knocks.
  • If you are driving on high altitudes, it’s recommended to use lower octane rating fuels because increase in air density can affect the rate of fuel combustion.
Just like a human body which works soundly by taking in nutritious food, choosing the right fuel type for your car makes your car run smoother, faster, and effortlessly for years to come.


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