Spotted this in the ask hj section:
https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/askhj/answer/143431/is-premium-petrol-worth-the-extra-
Seems to be the opposite of what hj has been telling us for years!
I suspect some of it is 'personal opinion', but it seems to depend very much on:
1. What car you have (i.e. how much extra power or mpg you can get);
2. How old the car is and what condition it is in - clogged injectors will certainly be helped by superfuels, but the branded ones (i.e. not supermarkets) are much better as they mostly contain more cleaning agents than supermarket super fuels, and quite a bit more than standard fuel.
That being said, none of them are better than a dose of quality injector cleaner put in each tank of fuel for a few fill-ups, and they are much cheaper;
3. How you use the car. If it is used for lots of short trips from cold (or historicall was before you recently bought it), especially wrt modern diesels, then again superfuels, especially the branded ones, will be of far more benefit to keep the engine and exhaust system the least clogged up.
Some cars may benefit from having a dose of (expensive, but worithwhile) CAT cleaner additive. Normally cars with that problem will also have DPF and possibly EGR issues if they are fitted with one, because they are related to how they are used.
4. The cost-benefit difference. Those with the above situations may benefit more, because parts may fail or require cleaning at the dealership, costing vastly more than the normal 5-8p price difference at supermarkets or 10-20p a litre difference at the branded filling stations.
I believe at the moment, the price difference between standard and superfuels is higher than usual not just in percentage terms, because of the fallout of COVID-19 and the price war between Russia and the Saudis.
For ordinary cars used (even infrequently) for mainly runs over 10 miles that get the vehicle fully warmed up and that are well-maintained, superfuels are a waste of time, and money in my view. At most, treat them to 2-4 doses of injector cleaner over a year or so. In normal times, you can buy the quality stuff at Halfords etc when on offer for about £3 - £5 (normal price 50-100% more).
If the lockdown carries on for many months, I might buy a fuel stabiliser bottle, just in case my car has to sit around for a very long time. I'm estimating at present going through a tankful of fuel every 3 months or so. If I recall, petrol starts to degrade after 6.
I'd be more worried about the brake seizing up, tyres flat-spotting and battery going kaput (especially as I have no way of trickle charging it, living in a flat). Best to find a creative (but safe) way of using the car once every week or two (temperature dependent) for long enough a trip to keep it all in roadworthy condition.
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