Sheetz sells gas type that’s cheaper than regular unleaded. Is it safe?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Some Sheetz stations sell Unleaded 88 gas, also called E15, at lower prices.
- E15 is approved for light-duty conventional vehicles from model year 2001 and newer.
- Drivers should follow manufacturer recommendations when deciding which gas to buy.
A handful of Sheetz gas stations in the Triangle sell a type of gasoline that is often significantly cheaper than regular unleaded gasoline.
On Thursday afternoon, prices of the Unleaded 88 gas at four stations in Raleigh, Garner and Cary were 50 cents less per gallon than prices of Regular 87 gas — a factor much larger than the three pennies per gallon in savings many rewards programs offer.
This gasoline, also called E15, isn’t available at all gas stations, or even all Sheetz stations. But if Triangle drivers can find it, it may help them save money each time they fill up.
What is Unleaded 88 gas?
The gasoline has a higher ethanol content than regular unleaded gas, which means it also has more octane, Rick Sapienza, Wake Technical Community College’s dean of Transportation Technologies, told The News & Observer.
Ethanol, made from corn and other plant materials, makes up 10.5%-15% of the fuel in E15, compared to 10% in regular unleaded.
Is Sheetz Unleaded 88 gas safe to use?
E15 is safe to use, but only in some vehicles. In 2011, the EPA approved its use in light-duty conventional vehicles from model years 2001 and newer.
The fuel should not be used in any vehicles older than model year 2001, along with motorcycles, vehicles with heavy-duty engines (including school buses and delivery trucks) and off-road vehicles including boats and snowmobiles, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
People also shouldn’t use it in tools such as gas-powered chain saws and lawn mowers.
Drivers should follow their vehicle manufacturer’s recommendation for fuel, Sapienza said. Using E15 in vehicles designed to run on high-octane gas may lead to performance issues.
Cons of using E15
While E15 is often cheaper than regular unleaded gasoline, drivers may lose fuel economy, Sapienza said.
That’s because of ethanol’s energy content, which is about 30% lower than pure gasoline’s.
With around a 10% ethanol content, regular unleaded gasoline results in about a 3%-4.5% lower fuel economy compared to pure gasoline.
E15 has more ethanol, which means it has a smaller energy content than E10. Drivers could expect an additional 1.5%-2% drop in fuel economy, Sapienza said.
According to the Renewable Fuels Association, a U.S. trade association for the country’s ethanol industry, a vehicle that gets 30 miles per gallon running on regular gasoline would get about 29.6 miles per gallon with E15, if fuel economy were perfectly correlated with energy density.
“If you’re looking at it from the economics, it’s only a couple percent less in fuel economy,” Sapienza said. “If it’s more than a couple percent less in price, there’s a value proposition there.”
Benefits of using E15
Besides helping drivers save money, E15 may be a better choice for the environment, compared to gasolines with lower ethanol content.
A 2023 University of California, Riverside study found that vehicles using E15 released fewer emissions of carbon monoxide, total hydrocarbons and non-methane hydrocarbons. The fuel also resulted in lower emissions of particulate matter, which are small, airborne particles that can pose health risks.
However, Aaron Smith, a University of California, Berkeley professor in the department of agricultural and resource economics, wrote in a 2025 article that more widespread use of E15 could dampen its environmental impacts.
If the demand of E15 increases, in turn raising demand for corn, prices of the crop would also go up, Smith wrote. That would incentivize farmers to plant more corn, which they might do by converting forest or rangeland to cropland. When that land is cleared, biomass is lost, and soils are disturbed, creating a large, one-time emission of carbon.
Where to find E15
Sheetz is the most popular Triangle retailer that offers E15 fuel. Drivers can see which Sheetz stations sell Unleaded 88 — and prices of gas types — using the Sheetz app.
Websites such as getbiofuel.com have maps showing stations that sell E15 and E85, gasoline with a high ethanol content.
