“Shell, chevron & exxon are ‘top tier’ approved gas retailers.”
A car enthusiast filled up with Shell 91 on a Monday, drove for a week, and then on Sunday showed viewers the fuel gauge still near full.
He drew the conclusion that Shell gas “doesn’t burn as quick as other gases out there,” and that everyone watching should switch to it.
Alex (@fxckaleex), a San Diego car enthusiast whose channel is mostly focused on his Subaru WRX, posted the one-minute video that has since drawn more than 73,000 views.
“Shell gas is the best gas to put in your car,” reads the text across the screen. The caption asks viewers to comment on what they put in their own tanks.
“I put gas on Monday, and today is Sunday, and look how much is left,” he says. “It’s like I didn’t even do anything.”
He says he normally alternates between two stations: “I usually put Shell or Costco gas because [Shell is] the gas nearest to me. And then Costco gas—it’s just the prices; you just can’t beat it.”
On Monday, he skipped the Costco line and paid the higher rate at Shell, which he wasn’t initially thrilled about. “Shell gas is pretty pricey. It was like 6.60 a gallon for 91.”
His experience leads him to a big claim. “If I put Costco gas on Monday, I probably will have to fill up by today or maybe even tomorrow,” he says, “but because I put Shell gas, I probably don’t have to fill up to another week.”
The dash shot in the video shows 67,735 miles on the odometer and a fuel needle near full. But it doesn’t show how far he drove during the week in question, which is what a fair and informative comparison really would need.
Octane is not a measure of how much energy is in the fuel or how fast it burns. The Energy Information Administration describes the octane rating as “the measure of fuel stability,” based on the pressure at which a fuel spontaneously combusts in a test engine, and points out that the big number on the yellow pump label is a minimum. The 91 at Shell and the 91 at Costco are certified against that same floor.
Buying more octane than the engine calls for doesn’t stretch a tank of gas further either. The Department of Energy’s fuel economy site tells drivers to use the octane the manufacturer requires and says higher octane than that may “slightly improve performance and gas mileage during severe duty operation, such as towing a trailer or carrying heavy loads, especially in hot weather.”
For his WRX, premium is the recommendation. The EPA’s vehicle data lists premium gasoline for the car, with the 2021 manual rated at 23 mpg combined.
There isn’t a lot of third-party evidence backing up the idea that there is a significant difference between gasoline brands.
TOP TIER is a fuel specification written by automakers, and licensed retailers “must adhere to the rigorous fuel detergency performance requirements,” with the standard applying to every octane grade they sell.
The list of licensed gasoline brands includes Shell, but also Costco/Kirkland Signature, along with Chevron, Exxon, Mobil, 76, BP, and ARCO.
Even Shell’s own marketing stops short of making the claims Alex does. The company says V-Power NiTRO+ contains “six times the cleaning agents required by federal standards” and defends against “deposits, corrosion, wear, and friction.”
Where mileage comes up, Shell’s claim is that “carbon deposits can reduce gas mileage and engine performance,” but that is a claim about marginal improvements in fuel economy over months and years, not about a tank of gas lasting an extra week.
The comments thread saw a schism between true believers and physicists. A popular comment came from user _alexael, who claimed insider knowledge: “Coming from someone who works in a petroleum lab, Shell has the tightest regulations and standards for their products. Also Chevron and Exxon are pretty good.”
Supersaker argued that “Gas is gas,” which drew some hostile replies, including a flat “No it’s not!”
Bigchill998 asked an obvious question the video never addresses: “Wouldn’t gasoline, whatever mix you choose, have the same energy? So the only thing is how efficient your car’s MPG is. How can the gas last longer?”
As for the price that started it, in September 2026, $6.60 is more like the going rate rather than a premium price. AAA put California’s premium average at $6.505 a gallon on Thursday.
Motor1 reached out to Alex by email for comment. We’ll be sure to update this if he responds.
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