US vs. European Gas: Is one really better?

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]The gasoline in the US isn't as good as the fuel sold in Europe, Australia, or other parts of the world.

[00:00:06]People often believe this because they see octane ratings like 87, 89, and 93 at American pumps.

[00:00:13]And then they look at pumps overseas and notice ratings like 95 and 99 octane.

[00:00:18]Since those numbers are higher, they assume the fuel must be better. But the truth is, there's more to it than just the number you see at the pump.

[00:00:27]You might think that means fuel in Europe has a higher octane, but that's actually misleading.

[00:00:32]>> [music] >> The difference comes down to the octane rating system. In Europe, they use the RON scale, research octane number, while in the US, we use the PON scale, pump octane number. So, even though the numbers look different, the fuel is essentially the same. For example, Europe's 95 octane fuel is roughly equivalent to our 89 octane midgrade, and Europe's 98 or 99 octane matches our 93 octane premium. Hopefully, that clears up the myth.

[00:01:01]Gasoline in the US is very similar to gasoline in Europe. The rating systems just use different measurements.