William Lipovsky
Short Answer — While Speedway’s parent company, Marathon Oil Corporation, is a TOP TIER licensed retailer, Speedway gas stations are not reported to provide TOP TIER gasoline. However, the company claims that its gas meets all federal regulations.
Is Speedway TOP TIER Gas? Speedway Gas Quality Reviewed
Marathon Oil Corporation owns Speedway and supplies its fuel, and Marathon is a TOP TIER licensee. Marathon also owns ARCO, which is another TOP TIER retailer.
However, despite some conflicting reports, Speedway is not a licensed TOP TIER gasoline retailer, and its fuel is not labeled as TOP TIER on the Speedway company website or on Marathon’s website (which does mention that Marathon and ARCO have TOP TIER gas).
Marathon provides Speedway’s gasoline, but it is a different formulation than what is supplied to Marathon and ARCO gas stations. We spoke with Speedway customer service representatives who also told us that if Marathon is unable to supply Speedway with fuel, the company is able to use third-party suppliers.
On the Speedway website, the company simply states that all grades of its fuel are compliant with all local, state, and federal regulations. Speedway claims that its top priority is to “consistently offer quality fuel at competitive prices without sacrificing standards.”
Another factor that contributes to fuel quality is gas station maintenance, and Speedway has transparent instructions and policies regarding the safety procedures at its gas stations. Its safety data sheets are even available to the public on the Speedway website.
What is TOP TIER Gasoline?
According to the TOP TIER website, the specially formulated gasoline was introduced in 2004 by a group of auto manufacturers who wanted to create fuel that would improve the performance of their cars.
Through the addition of certain blends of detergents that amount to three times more than what is required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), TOP TIER gas prevents the accumulation of deposits that can harm your engine. This is supported by a study conducted by the American Automobile Association (AAA), as reported by Consumer Reports.
The study found the difference to be so dramatic that the consumer advocacy organization said, “We think the EPA should consider raising the minimum detergent standards to ensure all drivers benefit from the type of performance and longevity promised by TOP TIER fuels.”
If you want to fill up at a TOP TIER gas station, see the organization’s list of licensed retailers.
The TOP TIER gas website lists SuperAmerica as a top tier station. When you click on their name it takes you to the Speedway website so this is very confusing.
Hello, Jim! SuperAmerica was a TOP TIER licensed brand. However, SuperAmerica changed ownership in 2018, and the new owner chose to rebrand the stations as Speedway. SuperAmerica’s former website is no longer active; the TOP TIER website still links to it, but it redirects to the Speedway website due to the rebranding. Speedway still is not a TOP TIER licensed brand. I hope this clears up the confusion for you! Please let us know if you have any further questions!
Great article. I’ve been confused about this myself. I also emailed Speedway, asking them specifically if their gasoline was considered Top Tier, and their response was:
“In the retail fuel industry there are a variety of independent certifications retailers may acquire. Speedway, and all of its grades of fuel, is compliant with all local, state and federal regulations. Rest assured that Speedway’s priority is to consistently offer quality fuels at competitive prices, without sacrificing standards.”
That’s it. The person who sent the email was basically trying to let me believe what I wanted without actually giving an answer.
A simple answer would have sufficed. I even told them in the email that I would still purchase their fuel if they gave me a straight answer (I can always add a bottle of fuel detergent myself), but I still didn’t get one. However, in response to their emails, I am no longer shopping at Speedway, even though I had been a loyal customer for over 10 years. And, as someone who drives 30K miles/year, that’s a lot of business
Thanks again for clearing this up. Great research!
Thank you for sharing your experience, Nick! We’re glad to hear that you found our article helpful.