For some reason, there is a group of people who believe putting premium fuel in a vehicle engineered to run on 87-octane will make the vehicle last longer or run better.
No matter how many times you tell these people that a Ford Focus does not run any better on premium fuel than it does on 87-octane, they keep reaching for high-test. Well, these people finally figured out they are just throwing away money.
The Detroit Free Press reports that the demand for premium fuel is down from 16 percent in 1997 to 8 percent of the sales mix last month. Meanwhile, the number of cars that require or suggest premium fuel has risen from 166 in 2002 to 282 for the 2008 model year. It seems the psychological effect of the 40 cent per gallon price difference has drivers re-evaluating their perceived need for high-test fuel.
Source: Detroit Free Press