Ethanol, quality & range

Gas in Quebec legally contains up to 10% ethanol (E10) in Regular. Ethanol holds ~33% less energy per litre than pure gasoline. In practice it's more subtle.

📊 Range estimator

Compare real-world range between an E10 fuel and an E0/E5 based on your driving.

Simple model: range loss from ethanol ≈ 0.33 × ethanol %. At 10% ethanol, range drops ~3.3% vs pure gasoline. Per-100km cost accounts for both price and actual consumption.

Who puts how much ethanol in Quebec?

Quebec does not mandate a specific blend like Ontario (≥10%). In practice:

• Costco, Petro-Canada, Esso, Shell Regular: E5 to E10 depending on batch and season.
• Shell V-Power Nitro+, Esso Synergy Supreme+, Petro-Canada Ultra 94: generally E0 or very low.
• Top Tier stations (Shell, Costco, Chevron, Co-op in Canada): stricter additive standards independent of ethanol.
• Petro-Canada and Esso are no longer Top Tier since 2024-2025 — see official list here.

When a "more expensive" price is actually cheaper

If Premium at 219.9¢/L is ethanol-free (E0) and Costco Regular at 184.9¢/L is E10, Premium gives about 3.4% more range. The cost per 100 km — not per litre — becomes the right indicator.

For a vehicle designed for Regular, this rarely pays off in Quebec where the price gap is steep. For a vehicle designed for Premium (BMW, Audi, some Subaru turbos), you must use it — short-term saving on Regular triggers knocking and damages the engine.

Is Costco worth it?

Costco is Top Tier (Kirkland Signature contains 5× the EPA-required detergent additives) and consistently among the cheapest. But:

• Membership required: $65/yr (Gold Star) or $130/yr (Executive, but 2% rebate does not apply to gas).
• Accepted cards: Mastercard only at the pump (no Visa, no Amex).
• Queue times: 10–30 min at peak. Factor that into the decision (see Worth the detour?).
• 18 Costco stations in Quebec: Laval (440), Brossard, Boucherville, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Anjou, Pierrefonds, Saint-Hubert, Saint-Bruno, Pointe-Claire, etc.