95 vs 98 Petrol: Is Premium Fuel Worth It?
95 vs 98 petrol is not a taste test. It is an octane decision: does your engine require high knock resistance, and are you paying for performance you can actually use?What RON means in a sentence
RON (Research Octane Number) describes a fuel’s resistance to knock under pressure. High-performance turbo engines often specify minimum 98 RON because cylinder pressures are higher.
Read the sticker before the marketing
If the manufacturer says minimum 95, running 98 is usually fine but may not return measurable benefits. If the manufacturer says minimum 98, running 95 can risk knock or computer pull-back that hurts performance.
When 98 is worth it
- Your vehicle explicitly requires it.
- You track a car where consistent high-load operation benefits from headroom.
- You are comparing same RON stations for price, not upgrading octane “for fun”.
When 95 is enough
- Your manual lists 95 as the minimum and you are not modifying boost aggressively.
- You want simpler shopping during unleaded cycle lows.
Price spreads and cycle shopping
Premium spreads move independently of ULP 91. Use the directory to compare P95 vs P98 near you on the same day.
Diesel comparisons are a different decision: return to diesel vs petrol Australia when you are choosing powertrains, not octane.