Why low cost gas stations are cheaper: does cheap gasoline cause breakdowns?

This is the eternal dilemma of drivers. Refuel at a renowned gas station where a liter is expensive, or choose a cheap establishment where we save a few euros with each deposit. Is there a good choice and a bad choice? Let’s see it.

Pour gasoline into a Repsol at almost 2 euros per liter or better choose the Low Cost gas station in your neighborhood where the liter remains at 1.65 € per liter of fuel. This is the great doubt and, with the general rise in prices due to the Russian invasion, this situation has worsened.

Less than two years ago, after leaving confinement, in Spain we used a liter of diesel at 0.80 and the most expensive gasoline did not even reach the euro. This has been reversed. For many reasons. The main one was because at the time gasoline had no outlet as everyone was at home without being able to take the car.

Now, with the situation normalized in terms of mobility restrictions, fuel has been growing day after day in price… to a point that we did not see coming: 2 euros per liter, twice as much as a year and a half ago. Filling a deposit has gone from costing 50 euros to almost 100 €.

This is the reason why many people are inclined to refuel at Low Cost gas stations, which always have somewhat cheaper gasoline and diesel, despite the fact that the service is usually worse. The point is that saving 10 euros on an entire deposit is noticeable.

Many people wonder if the Low Cost, because they are cheaper, have worse gasoline. And this is what we know thanks to Autobild: “their low prices come from the fact that they reduce expenses to the maximum, this is possible by dispensing with personnel and resorting to the self-service modality“.

As can be seen, this does not affect the quality of the fuel, far from it. Furthermore, as our colleagues explain, the fuels sold in Spain are all the samesince they meet minimum quality standards established for their sale to be legal.

And, with this explanation, we solve the other doubt that many have: Will my engine break because I put Low Cost gasoline in it? Not at all, all the fuel sold in Spain passes quality controls, so when we fill the tank we are using certified fuel.

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The only thing that changes between a first brand and a Low Cost are the additives, which you can differentiate one gasoline from another. Repsol, BP or Shell, among others, boast of having the best gasoline because they are the ones who add their own additives.

This does not make Low Cost gasoline of poorer quality, although it is true that these mixtures usually give more kilometers per tank or somewhat cleaner engines. But in no case is Low Cost gasoline going to spoil the car’s engine. They are all legal and certified.