Is Chevron Gas Better than Arco?

By April Quinones Written by April Quinones
Updated on March 26, 2022

Technically, there is no such thing as a “better” gas. In fact, there is not much difference between the two, provided that you are acquiring a similar ethanol blend and octane rating.

In the United States, the gasoline sector must operate according to the federal specifications that guide fuel and gas production. As a matter of fact, a few of the retailers trade the “generic” fuel.

However, multiple car manufacturers alongside Consumer Reports give credit to fuel with significant detergent additives.

 “Top Tier” fuels are significantly accessible in the current markets and come along with big names. Arco happens to appear at the top list of the Top Tier fuel and Chevron websites.

The quality of the fuel and oil is used as a marketing strategy to enhance the nature of their products. However, no laboratory has developed a personal brand to showcase their superiority of these Top Tier fuels.

How Does Chevron Gas and Arco Compare?

Chevron and Arco’s gases are similar except for the name additive. Gasoline is fungible, which represents a ratio of 1:2 in a region of similar specifications. Besides, gasoline uses similar pipelines, tanks, and distribution network systems.

There are different specifications for gasoline across regions where one seller trades similar gasoline within the region. The vendor can either sell gasoline with or without ethanol in some regions.

Also, there are times when a client can opt to purchase ethanol-free gasoline expensively. Consequently, Chevron and Arco gasoline may be dissimilar in these areas. Ethanol minimizes the gas mileage by a few percentages while ethanol’s high octane reduces the refinery operation prices to produce higher octane gasoline.

Is Arco a Better Choice than Chevron Gas Due to Its Cheaper Cost?

Arco popularly changed its policy to not accept credit cards and settled on accepting cash and ATM cards with a 35¢ surcharge fee.

Credit card charges significantly increase with a surcharge fee of about 5%. When paying for Arco gas, you won’t incur an extra charge that comes with using credit cards, hence why the gas is less expensive. 

Besides, you don’t incur the credit card processing fees which come with additional transaction fees of about 2-3% per transaction. The reduced fixed cost of $0.45 increased the daily sales, which doubled that of other stations. 

This also resulted in the reduction of fuel prices compared to other stations. Avro can offer special discounts to clients who buy gas in big volumes.

Why Chevron Gas is the Better One

Chevron comes with a special additive to their fuel which plays a huge role in breaking down the present carbon deposits at the intake valve. 

Firms such as Chevron try to convince their clients that their gasoline is superior because of the Techron components. However, all gasses have detergents that curb clogs in the fuel injector.

This means that no gasoline brand has better quality than others for your car. For instance, a port injection will not bring a significant difference since the fuel is sprayed behind the intake valve.

On the other hand, direct injection can be of great help in curbing more issues on your engine. Besides, avoid putting an increased or reduced octane fuel in the car if it can be curbed. High octane fuel results in slow burns which is very difficult to ignite. 

Alternatively, the lower octane fuel results in faster burning, which is simple to ignite. In a nutshell, high octane in a low octane-rated vehicle kills the engine and gas mileage performance and vice versa.

How Chevron Gas Fares with Other Gas Brands?

Chevron does not necessarily have perfect gasoline. Chevron and Shell gas are costly since they come with additives such as cleaning agents. Other brands have come up with other ways to save money. 

Most stations are now upgraded with an additional tank for additives on site. This has played a huge role in cutting down the gas cost rather than having the client go for expensive additives. These brands get the additives delivered to their stations without paying the price unless the car requires a premium.

Other brands may have certified content of additives, detergents, and octane ratings. Besides, most people understand that gasoline stations acquire generic gasoline and term their gasoline. Chevron’s convincing power to the public helps the station make more revenue than other brands.

Is There a Difference Between ARCO and Chevron Gas?

The slight difference comes in the name of the brand station. For instance, Chevron put additives for cleaning the engine. There are slight differences witnessed in these generic fuels, which are harmless to a vehicle.

Arco is a bit cheaper than Chevron gas in terms of pricing. This is the result of the surcharge fee which comes in when you use a credit card when making payment. For Arco, the rates are lower since they don’t come with extra additives.

That said, Chevron is among the Top Tier fuels while Arco is owned by BP (British Petroleum). They obtain their gas from BP and can opt to sell to their fuel firms.