Gas prices seem to be changing constantly. You just never know what tomorrow’s price is going to be, and you are more than likely to look for the cheapest gas you can get. There are some pros and cons with cheap gas, and, here at Auto Credit Express, we understand the confusion of cheap gas’ quality.

Difference Between Cheap and Expensive Gas

pumping gas into vehicleThe first thing you need to understand is what helps determine the price of a gallon of gas. All gasoline starts out the same and comes from the same “base gas” at a refinery. What the gas companies do to the gasoline next is what affects the price: they mix in additives.

A number of additives are mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and help clean a car’s engine and reduce emissions. At the refinery, the initial additives are blended into the gasoline. Then each company mixes in their own additive packages to further improve the cleaning and performance quality of their gasoline blend.

The Good News

Edmunds.com looked into cheap gas and its effect on cars with the help of various experts, and what they found is that, if you have an older model car, cheap gas isn’t likely to outright harm your vehicle. Thanks to advanced engine technology, your car’s engine management systems are able to adjust to different fuel types and variations.

The Bad News

The bad news is that, if you have a newer model car, you need to be a little more mindful of cheap gas. Many new cars today have a gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine, which means that the fuel is being injected under very high pressure directly into the combustion chamber (older technology uses lower pressure and the gasoline is injected into the intake manifold).

According to a fuel engineer at General Motors, these engine types are more sensitive to additives—meaning that if you own a newer vehicle with this engine technology, it's recommended that you use Top Tier gas instead of the cheaper alternatives.

Bottom Line

Not all gasoline is the same. Choosing to use Top Tier gas or cheap gas comes down to preference and what you can afford. At Auto Credit Express, we understand people are often on tight budgets and don’t have perfect credit scores. We want to help you by connecting you to a dealer in your area with the lenders and know-how to help people in all types of credit situations. Simply fill out our online auto loan request form to get started today.