Can you mix unleaded petrol with super unleaded?

THE September 2021 petrol crisis has left many motorists questioning themselves at the pump.

Here we explain the different types of fuel on offer and whether they are safe to mix.

Can you mix unleaded and super unleaded?

Mixing unleaded and super unleaded petrol is safe for you and your car.

Unleaded has a octane rating of 95 while super unleaded is 98 and designed to be more fuel efficient with a smoother engine operation.

Combining the two in equal parts in your tank gives you a mixed grade petrol of around 96 octane rating number.

This is unlikely to cause any major damage to your car, with an expert from the AA saying: "Mixing the 95 and 98 octane fuels will not cause any problems."

However, the RAC suggests sticking to the octane recommended for your vehicle.

What is the difference between unleaded and super unleaded?

Although its name suggests otherwise, premium unleaded is actually the standard grade of petrol available and is suitable for almost all petrol engines.

It was, however, replaced with E10 (95) – a more environmentally friendly alternative – on September 1, 2021.

Super unleaded (97/98) is the highest octane fuel widely available.

It is required for some high-performance cars, and preferable for others, such as Porsches.

The main difference between them is simply that super unleaded petrol has a higher octane number than premium unleaded.

What other types of petrol are there?

E10

E10, which replaced premium unleaded as the standard petrol in the UK in September 2021, is made up of 90 per cent regular unleaded and 10 per cent ethanol.

Petrol in the UK currently contains up to 5 per cent renewable ethanol (known as E5).

It is hoped E10 will help to reduce CO2 emissions from petrol vehicles and help tackle climate change.

High-performance

Some petrol stations will also sell their own high-performance, high-octane fuels.

For example, Total garages sell Excellium Unleaded while Shell offers Shell V-Power Unleaded, which has an octane rating of 99 RON, the UK’s highest. 

Another type of fuel on offer is diesel, which is specifically used in diesel engines.

As with petrol, there are a handful of higher performance diesel options available, including Shell V-Power Diesel, BP Ultimate Diesel and Total Excellium Diesel.

LPG

Another alternative to petrol is LPG Autogas, which stands for Liquefied Petroleum Gas, and is significantly cheaper than petrol.

Engines have to be specially converted to run on LPG, which can cost upwards of £2,000.

Biodiesel and bioethanol

Both biodiesel and bioethanol are fuels made from plant crops rather than oil.

Biodiesel is an alternative fuel to diesel but cannot be used on its own, instead needing to be blended with traditional fuel as a more renewable option.

Bioethanol can be used in place of petrol and can be used alone, or in a blend.

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