Why You’re Paying Even More for Premium Gas

  • Difference with regular gasoline is widest in memory
  • U.S. sales of higher-octane fuel rise to 14-year high

Atlantic Gasoline Flows Surge On Colonial Spill

Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg
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Dan McTeague drives a 2012 Ford Escape. His brother-in-law owns a 2017 model. They get similar performance. One difference: The newer vehicle is a lot more expensive to drive because it requires premium gasoline.

“You void the warranty if you don’t use it,” said McTeague, senior petroleum analyst for data provider GasBuddy.com.