Premium is always $.30-$.40 more here
Regular vs Premium Gas Pricing
- Thread starter thescreensavers
- Start date
Noticed that Casey's has decreased the gap between regular fuel and their 15% (88) ethanol. It used to be $0.40-0.50 but is now just $0.20.
Yeah, seems to happen a lot around here that everybody that sells it goes to a 3 cent gap, not really worth it at that price.
The local massive tank farm seems to be running half capacity since late January for some reason which is likely the reason for $$$$ going higher and higher.
It varies widely. I was in rural Virginia last weekend and at a Citgo station the spread was over $1.50, the highest I have ever seen. usually, in Vermont, its about 75 cents to a dollar. I buy most of the 93 for my Corvette at a Mobil station near me where the spread is only about 40 cents. Its the cheapest 93 in this area, currently $3.299 a gallon.
When I first started driving in 1964 in northern New Jersey, it seems the oil companies engaged in price fixing. Every station sold leaded regular for 29.9 cents a gallon, and leaded premium was 33.9 cents a gallon. Unleaded Amoco premium was 34.9 cents a gallon. As a 17 year old, I had a minimum wage part time job paying me $1.50 an hour.
When I first started driving in 1964 in northern New Jersey, it seems the oil companies engaged in price fixing. Every station sold leaded regular for 29.9 cents a gallon, and leaded premium was 33.9 cents a gallon. Unleaded Amoco premium was 34.9 cents a gallon. As a 17 year old, I had a minimum wage part time job paying me $1.50 an hour.
I still remember the first time I encountered the $1.00 higher price for premium. The station sign only lists the price of regular and I pulled in expecting it to be the usual ~50 cent higher. It was $1.00 higher. I got back in my car and went elsewhere in protest. 
Now this is the norm everywhere around here. Some smaller stations are $1.20 higher.
Now this is the norm everywhere around here. Some smaller stations are $1.20 higher.Here in Central Pennsylvania, usually find mid-grade .50 more and 93 a dollar more than 87, prices around here are about $3.40-50 for 87. Seems to go up every 3-4 days
wemay
Site Donor 2023
I was just thinking the same this past Saturday when refueling.
87 was 2.87
93 was 3.97!
I don't recall the spread ever being this large.
87 was 2.87
93 was 3.97!
I don't recall the spread ever being this large.
Hermann
Site Donor 2023
Bought Phillips 66 93 octane TT E10 for $3.39 a few days ago. 87 TT E10 was $2.89, so 50 cents
I just pumped approx three gallons of 93 Mobil into the new Impreza. Only 500 miles on her.
It was laying down a bit running up and down the coast on a hot day (today) After a couple key on/off cycles, it seems to be doing OK.
An hour previously, I had tossed 20 bucks into an Elantra N- line all black that I was test driving. The Mobil gas passed my actual sniff test so I hit the joint with the Impreza later in the day. The Elantra N line 1.6 turbo was pretty lazy when just tooling around, tried sport mode and paddle shifting the 7 speed DCT, Still lazy under 1/4 throttle. Didn't wail on it. Not my car. I needed the car to be sprightly in normal driving and it just wasn't there.
Not a bad ride though. A bit jiggly. Steering felt heavy but not as precise as the good youtubers say.
A previously owned 98 M Roadster is still "the" affordable sports car to beat in my book. Hope to try a Boxter S someday.
Oh the reason I am on this thread.
I was really surprised the premium was almost four bucks. So, a dollar and a dime and a nickel more per gallon than the regular E10
It was laying down a bit running up and down the coast on a hot day (today) After a couple key on/off cycles, it seems to be doing OK.
An hour previously, I had tossed 20 bucks into an Elantra N- line all black that I was test driving. The Mobil gas passed my actual sniff test so I hit the joint with the Impreza later in the day. The Elantra N line 1.6 turbo was pretty lazy when just tooling around, tried sport mode and paddle shifting the 7 speed DCT, Still lazy under 1/4 throttle. Didn't wail on it. Not my car. I needed the car to be sprightly in normal driving and it just wasn't there.
Not a bad ride though. A bit jiggly. Steering felt heavy but not as precise as the good youtubers say.
A previously owned 98 M Roadster is still "the" affordable sports car to beat in my book. Hope to try a Boxter S someday.
Oh the reason I am on this thread.
I was really surprised the premium was almost four bucks. So, a dollar and a dime and a nickel more per gallon than the regular E10
93 is very rare around here, 91 is about it
Around here the spread grows just before a big price change for RUG.
Usually premium goes sky high first then RUG slinkies up.
My guess is gas stations just view premium and mid grade as rich people luxury items they can legally overcharge for to boost profits.
It's more or less arbitrary. I would think the costs to the gas station are based on any number of factors, but mostly the commodity price of that particular fuel grade. In terms of making it, it's not necessarily more expensive to make, although I understand that hydocracking to make an overall higher antiknock fuel isn't free.
I remember years ago it was almost always an arbitrary 10 cents difference between grades. Not always, but nearly universal regardless of the gas station of the price. I remember visiting Arizona in the late 90s when I saw the big brand names were typically 79.9/89.9/99.9 cents per gallon. But when the overall price went up it was still 10 cents difference.
But it doesn't necessarily cost more to make premium. It's just part of the refining output stream. But I remember hearing that gas station owners were only paying marginally higher prices for premium, but that's where their profit came from (as well as convenience store sales).
I remember years ago it was almost always an arbitrary 10 cents difference between grades. Not always, but nearly universal regardless of the gas station of the price. I remember visiting Arizona in the late 90s when I saw the big brand names were typically 79.9/89.9/99.9 cents per gallon. But when the overall price went up it was still 10 cents difference.
But it doesn't necessarily cost more to make premium. It's just part of the refining output stream. But I remember hearing that gas station owners were only paying marginally higher prices for premium, but that's where their profit came from (as well as convenience store sales).
Patman
Staff member
I just got gas at the Costco near my girlfriend’s house and I paid 122.9 cents per liter for 87, the 91 octane was 148.9. So that works out to almost a dollar more per gallon and Costco has one of the smallest spreads around between regular and premium
Same with the stations around here. I prefer to use non-oxy so I just bite the bullet and pay.
Filled the Seville the other day... $70 for 17.xx gallons. Ridiculous.
