Circle K is a multinational company that operates a chain of convenience stores. Although the company sells a variety of other products, it is well known for one and that is its Premium Gas or Top Tier Gas. Before answering the question “Is Circle K gas good?” Let’s dig a bit into what a Top Tier Gas is.
What is a Top Tier Gas?
A Top Tier Gas contains more than the minimum recommended amount of detergent additives compared to regular gas. To be classified as a Top Tier Gas, the gasoline must also have a specific amount of deposits on intake valves, fuel injectors, and combustion chambers, and also restrict intake-valve sticking as recommended by the automobile makers.
It also costs a bit more, but for the extra cash, it offers additional protection to your car engine. In summary, top-tier gasoline causes less carbon deposit (19 times less) compared to regular gasoline.
This also improves fuel economy, produces lower emissions, and improves the overall performance of the vehicle. So when it comes to good gasoline, it doesn’t get any better than one rated as “Top Tier”.
So back to the main question, Circle K is considered a decent alternative to the top-tier gas stations. Circle K is similar to Wawa gas, and you will find a lot of people who have been filling up for years without a problem.
Is Circle K Gas Top-Tier?
No. Circle K gas is no longer a Top Tier gas brand. Circle K was among the leading top-tier gasoline retailers up until 2019. As a top-tier retailer, it was listed on the list of top-tier certified brands.
This means its gas contains enough detergent, and no metallic additives and also passed the top-tier gas test to make it on the list.
Back then, it formed a franchise with known top-tier gas retailers like Shell, Exxon, and Phillips 66. But after it pulled out of the franchise, the company rebranded as Circle K gas.
Shortly after that, it was removed from the list of top-tier gas retailers. At this point, it is no longer considered a Top tier gas.
Does Circle K gas have detergents?
Yes. Despite not being on the list of top-tier gas brands, Circle k gas is not a run-of-the-mill gas. However, it falls into the class of regular gas that meets the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard.
The EPA came to the rescue when it was observed that many gas retailers were not using enough additives in their fuel and this caused a lot of problems both to the automobile and the environment.
The EPA stepped in and provided a benchmark for all gas retailers to follow. Although this was a solution to the emissions problem, automobile manufacturers still demanded a higher level of detergent in gasoline because the EPA standard was not high enough to reduce the carbon deposits to a tolerable level.
Some high-end automobile engines still had issues like clogged fuel injectors and contaminated combustion chambers.
This was what eventually led to the establishment of top-tier brands. Nevertheless, many gas brands like Circle K gas use the EPA standard.
What type of gas is Circle K?
Circle K clearly mentions on its website that it uses “high-grade fuel from responsible refineries and terminals that add cleaning detergents”.
However, it doesn’t mention which refinery or gas which makes it clear that it is not one of the top tier brands.
Additionally, gas brands rated as top tier are required to prominently display the top tier logo.
In order words, Circle K is unbranded. But this only seems to apply to the United States and other non-European countries. In Europe, Circle K gas is branded as miles unleaded 95. It claims to improve fuel efficiency by up to 3% and can run on all gasoline engines that use octane 95.
Related content: Is 76 Gas Good? Answered
Does Circle K sell Shell gas?
Shell gas is a top-tier gas and it is listed on the top-tier gas website. Circle K used to sell Shell gas, however, after Circle K was removed from the list of top-tier gas brands, it also dropped the Shell branding along with other well-known franchises.
Presently, Circle K is no longer affiliated with shell gas.
Is Circle K gas Ethanol Free?
No. Circle K miles gas contains 5% bioethanol as a blended additive. Bioethanol is blended with gasoline to make it eco-friendly by reducing the level of CO2 emissions.
It is also used to increase the octane level of gasoline. Bioethanol is obtained by processing agricultural products like wheat and corn.
Although Circle K continues to sell ethanol-blended gasoline in the US and many European countries, the company is already moving to introduce Ethanol-free gas in Estonia from January 2021.
The gas supplied is branded 95 miles and 95 miles plus but like the ones sold in Europe, these do not contain any ethanol.
Do Shell gas cards work at Circle K?
Yes, but it depends on the type of Shell gas card you have, your location, and your Shell card provider. Fuel card Services offers three types of Shell fuel cards in the UK.
These are; Shell CRT, Shell Multifleet, and Shell One, and each of these cards have different access and options. Shell CRT can only be used with all Shell-branded service stations, while Shell Multifleet and Shell One can be used in 3,800 sites which include non-branded sites like Circle K.
If you applied for a Shell gas card through the official Shell website, then you are given the option of choosing a card that works specifically with Shell gas stations (Single Network) or both Shell gas stations and its partner stations (Multi Network).
Final Note
In this article, you’ll find answers to many questions about Circle K gas but there is one we are yet to answer and that’s the question “Is Circle K gas good?”. The short answer is YES. Circle K gas may not be rated as a top-tier gas but it still meets many standards across different countries.
This includes the EPA standard in the US, the CSGB standard in Canada, and the EN standard in Europe as well as many other country-specific standards across Europe. Without a doubt, Circle K is an international brand and at this point, it is safe to say that their gas is safe to use in any car.
Iliah is the co-founder of Mechanic Ask, where he writes detailed step-by-step tutorials for repairs and mods. He also posts videos walking through things like engine swaps, suspension lifts, and tuning chips. Iliah uses his blog as an educational resource for car enthusiasts based on the knowledge he’s gained from 15 years as an ASE-certified master technician. His repair manuals provide even novice readers the confidence to take on big projects.