Which gas to use on Mercedes-Benz? Regular or Premium

All Mercedes-Benz gasoline cars require Premium Unleaded Gas. At a minimum, you should use premium 91-octane gasoline or higher.

Avoid using low-octane gas such as:

• Regular Unleaded Octane 87
• Plus, Midgrade Unleaded Octane 89

There are no benefits to using premium gas unless your vehicles manufacturer requires that you use high octane (premium) gas. Mercedes-Benz cars require premium gas, as do most luxury vehicles.

Should I use low-octane gasoline (85, 87, 89) on my Mercedes-Benz?

Premium vs. regular is not a difference in gasoline quality; one is not better or worse than the other. The difference between the gasoline grade is the octane rating.

The octane rating determines how quickly the fuel will ignite in your engine. Lower octane gasoline ignites and burns quicker than higher octane gas. The higher the octane rating, the higher the gas resistance to pre-ignition.

Mercedes-Benz cars have high-compression engines which create higher pre-combustion temperatures and are equipped with many electronic controls and sensors. Using lower octane than recommended can cause the check engine light to come on.

Using low-grade gasoline on Mercedes-Benz cars is not recommended. Regular gas can reduce the life of the engine, trigger malfuctions such as Check Engine Light and most importantly it can cause the fuel to pre-ignite, causing pre-detonation (engine knocking).

Using lower-rated gasoline on your Mercedes-Benz causes problems and decreases fuel efficiency; therefore, you will need to buy more gasoline than you would if you were using premium gasoline.

Can I use fuel system/injector treatment on my Mercedes-Benz?

Using fuel system treatment additives on your Mercedes-Benz should not cause any problems. We have used Chevron Techron Concentrate Plus Fuel System Cleaner on many Mercedes-Benz cars without any problem. The fuel additives will remove harmful carbon deposits from critical engine parts on high-mileage Mercedes-Benz cars. Fuel additives work by removing deposits and restoring lost power and performance. We have used the Techron additive in Mercedes-Benz cars that have been sitting for over a year or have higher mileage and have noticed improvement after going through a couple of full fuel tanks. Always read the directions on how to use the additive properly. Fuel additives are not a substitute for using low-grade gasoline.

Premium gas vs. regular What is better for your Mercedes-Benz?

If you have read through forums or videos online, you may have read that you don’t need to use premium gas. That is true if your car requires regular gasoline. In that case, you will not benefit from using premium gas. When the car manufacturer recommends premium gas, then that is what you should use. Using lower-grade gas will harm the engine and affect the fuel economy MPG if used for an extended period.

I accidentally used regular gas instead of Premium / Super.

If you use regular gasoline on your car that requires Premium high octane gasoline, don’t panic. It’s not a big deal. You will NOT ruin your vehicle because you have used regular gasoline several times. But don’t be tempted to switch to regular gas. You may not notice a change in performance the first few times you use it, but if used for extended periods, you will. Why shorten the life of your car?

Related Resources

• Engine detonation (knocking) Wikipedia
• What kind of gasoline should I use? Mercedes-Benz Customer Support
• The Truth about Premium Gas. When to Use Higher Octane Gasoline – Kelley Blue Book.