Does Honda CRV Require Premium Gas? (Answered)

Turbocharged vehicles need premium gas to function efficiently. It also prevents the upgraded engines of these automobiles from gradual degradation.

The Honda CRV is now part of the league of such vehicles that use an upgraded engine. Since it also has a turbocharged engine, does Honda CRV requires premium gas?

No, Honda CRV does not require premium gas. It might be using a turbocharged engine as a part of the upgrades, but it does not need premium gas to perform efficiently. Honda CRVs have been running smoothly for years on a standard unleaded gasoline octane rating. However, modern CRVs with turbocharged engines can run on regular gas with improved technology.

Can Honda CRV take Premium gas?

Yes, Honda CRV can take premium gas. I earlier mentioned that all turbocharged engines need premium gas to function efficiently.

And the modern CRV model of Honda, alongside EX, EX-L, Civic LX, and Accord, are built with turbocharged engines.

However, Honda does not wholly require premium gas like other brands of automobiles. However, they can take premium gas and run their engine.

Premium gasoline is just like the regular unleaded gasoline octane-rated fuel. They are both made from crude oil but with different octane ratings. 

Premium gas is made to be six (6) times more than the regular unleaded gasoline octane rating.

For example, a regular gasoline rate is 87 in its octane level, while a premium gas rate is between 91 and 93.

Therefore, this constituent compels a premium fuel more than regular gasoline. 

The engine of the CRV has a design for premium gasoline. But thanks to technology, you can use regular gasoline without experiencing any fault.

Nonetheless, a Honda CRV can take premium gas since the engine’s design is in line with premium gasoline intake.

Does Honda CRV Turbo require Premium gas?

No, the Honda CRV turbo does not require premium gas. Typically turbo engines need premium gas to perform to balance up the transmission.

Honda CRVs though part of the turbo engine cars, do not require higher octane-rated gas.

Though you can use premium gas in Honda CRV, it will not make the car run faster or add any improvements to your CRV.

Therefore, I recommend you continue to use the regular unleaded gasoline octane rating, even though your Honda CRV has a turbocharged engine.

Nevertheless, I am speaking from an economic point of view.

Using the Honda CRV premium gas in your turbocharged engine does not add more value than the unleaded gasoline octane-rated gas.

And the premium gas is about 20 to 30 cents more expensive than regular gasoline.

The question is, “is the premium gasoline worth the extra cost on my budget”? Moreover, it does not improve the quality of your engine or the vehicle’s performance.

It is the same function the regular unleaded gasoline octane rating that a premium gas will perform.

However, if you have enough cash to spend, you can opt for the premium gas for Honda CRV. 

In a nutshell, the Honda CRV turbo does not require premium gas. Although it has a higher performance engine, Honda made it function well with regular gasoline.

So do not stress yourself overusing premium gasoline which will cost you more. Does Alfa Romeo Giulia Require Premium Gas? (Explained)

What Kind of Gas Does Honda CRV Take?

Honda CRV can take any gas with an ethanol content below 15 percent.

In addition, though, it is specified in the owner’s manual that you can use an unleaded gasoline octane rated 87 or higher. So Honda can take any gas with a higher octane rating than 87. 

The ethanol content is the only specification for the kind of gas Honda CRV, and probably other vehicles should take.

Always ensure not to use any gas with an ethanol level of 15 and above.

Please do not use it unless it is stated in your owner’s manual that you can use a 15 percent ethanol-based fuel.

The E15 rated fuel has more alcoholic content that would damage your engine.

This kind of gas (E15) is okay for a few vehicles. Although the E15 has been available for distribution since 2012, only a handful of fueling stations sell them.

However, it is quite economical to use the E15 since it is cheaper. It also reduces the rate at which engines ping or knock and helps control the amount of carbon dioxide released from cars. 

Nonetheless, the E15 is only required to be used by specially designed cars. So if it is not stated in your manual to use it, stick to the regular unleaded gasoline octane rating.

An E15 can cause parts of your engine to rust and quickly damage the car. Moreover, no model of Honda takes E15 gasoline, so stick to the guidelines of your Honda CRV.

What Happens if You Use Regular Gas In a Turbo Engine?

If you use regular gas in a Turbo engine, your vehicle’s engine will begin to wear off gradually. Turbo engines are supercharged engines that have a higher performance ratio.

Since it performs higher, it requires a gas that gives that same height of performance. Regular gas is compatible with normal engines that match its compression ratio. 

So, using a regular unleaded gasoline octane rating will not be compatible with the turbo engine. A turbo engine requires gas that would ignite it at the right time.

The higher the octane rating, the better chance of a perfect ignition. The unleaded gasoline octane-rated gas would not stand the high compression rate of a turbocharged engine. 

Using regular gas will not harm your vehicle at that moment. However, as time goes on, your car’s engine will begin to experience significant lapses in performance.

So let me shed more light on what goes on within the engine. When you ignite your engine, pressure is required to take the piston to the top of the cylinder. 

Some engines have a lower cylinder, while others have higher cylinders. Therefore, a lower engine would require less pressure than the latter.

This feature distinguishes between the regular engine and turbocharged engine. There’s also the premium gas from the unleaded gasoline octane rating. Does Hyundai Use Honda Engines? (Read This First)

So, if you use the regular gasoline for a higher engine (turbocharged ), you will experience pre-ignition, and this is what it means.

Once you ignite your turbocharged engine with regular gasoline, the piston travels and finds it difficult to reach the cylinder. At this point, it is forced to return to square one.

Further, the crankshaft will still try to push it up. This action stresses your engine gradually and causes it to wear.

When your engine continually undergoes this stress, it may cause the engine to knock or ping as the sound from the engine may suggest.

So a premium gas is required to produce the pressure needed to ignite your car.

Finally, let me also state here that since most turbocharged cars are modern in design, using regular gas is very unlikely to result in knocking.

Modern vehicles come with sensors that help to notify you against pinging or knocking.

Notwithstanding, do not use regular unleaded gasoline octane rating in a turbocharged engine.

Conclusion 

No model of Honda, not even the CRV that has a turbocharged engine, requires premium gas. They all perform well with the regular unleaded gasoline octane rating.

Also, the Honda CRV premium gas does not boost your vehicle’s performance. So save that extra 20 or 30 cents you would spend on premium gas and use the regular gasoline.