Ask the Editors: Is Octane The Same Worldwide?
That’s a very good question. The short answer is, no – Europe, Japan, Australia and several other areas are not getting fuel with a higher octane rating than the US. They are, however, getting a sticker on the pump that makes it look that way.
You may recall from the article that the way our octane number is determined here in the US is R+M/2:
R in this case is short for Research. Specifically the Research Octane Number (RON). RON is put through an engine at idle with low to normal temps.
M stands for Motor or the Motor Octane Number (MON). MON is put through an engine under stress – high RPM and temp.
The two are added together then divided by 2 to get the average.
In Europe they just determine the RON (R) number and on the sticker it goes.
Does this mean gas is better or worse depending on which side of the pond you call home? Not at all. The fuel is exactly the same but what Europeans call 95 octane we Americans call midgrade (90).
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