Types Of Gas Land Rover Discovery Sport Takes (L550)

On this blog, we do a lot of research regarding specific questions about different cars. Today we’ll look at the Land Rover Discovery Sport and answer what kind of gas this car requires. To find the answer, we’ve gone through the owners’ manuals of the L550. Here’s a quick answer:

All generations of the Land Rover Discovery Sport manufactured from 2014 onwards take gasoline with an octane rating of 91. However, gasoline with an octane rating of 87 can be used periodically when premium gasoline is unavailable.

However, that doesn’t tell the whole story. Below we’ll dive into what kind of gas this car takes. We’ll talk about reformulated gasoline, E-85, and gasoline with additives. Should or shouldn’t you use this for the Land Rover Discovery Sport? We’ll also talk about the fuel mileage of each generation as well as possible knocking noises and so much more. Read on!

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Infographic explaining the different fuel types for a Land Rover Discovery Sport

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Does The Land Rover Discovery Sport Need Premium Gasoline?

One thing we need to discuss immediately is the use of premium gasoline in the Land Rover Discovery Sport. As stated previously, the use of premium gasoline (with an octane rating of 91 or higher) is recommended in the Discovery Sport.

However, people often wonder if using gasoline with a higher octane rating isn’t a better idea in general. For example, using 93 octane gasoline where 91 octane is recommended. However, we have to notify you that this is not the case.

If a car has 91 octane recommended, increasing the octane level to 93 has no benefit to the car at all. This is because the engine is not capable of deriving performance benefits and/or is capable of increasing the lifespan of the fuel system.

Using 93 octane gasoline will only cost you more without providing any benefit. However, decreasing the amount of octane where 91 octane is recommended can cause severe defects if used over a more extended period of time. We’ll discuss this further later in the article when talking about a knocking engine.

What Types Of Gasoline Can And Can’t Be Used?

Furthermore, it’s important to discuss different types of gasoline and additives available on the market. It’s essential to discuss which ones have merit for your engine and which ones will only hurt it.

Reformulated Gasoline

Let’s start with reformulated gasoline. Reformulated gasoline is a gasoline that’s designed to burn more cleanly than regular gasoline. Therefore, it’s better for the environment than other types of gasoline that are non-reformulated.

In some areas of the United States, reformulated gasoline is mandatory, and it’s the only available thing. In other parts of the United States, there’s still a difference between reformulated and non-reformulated.

It’s good to know that all generations of the Land Rover Discovery Sport are capable of running on reformulated gasoline. Furthermore, Land Rover recommends using reformulated gasoline whenever it’s available. This is because it’s better for the environment, and it doesn’t diminish the lifespan or the car’s performance in any way.

Gasoline/Oxygenated Blends Or E-85

Besides reformulated gasoline, there’s also the possibility of buying oxygenated gasoline blends. Oxygenated blends of gasoline are gasoline forms mixed with ethanol or methanol. Especially ethanol is very common in today’s market. There are some straightforward recommendations regarding both ethanol and methanol.

All generations of the Land Rover Discovery Sport can take gasoline with a maximum of 15% ethanol.

The use of methanol is strictly advised against in all generations of the Land Rover Discovery Sport. Doing so will harm the fuel system and the engine of your car.

If you’re wondering why people would use ethanol in their gasoline, that’s because ethanol typically burns a lot cleaner than gasoline that does not contain ethanol. This is one of the reasons why the United States government has forced carmakers to produce engines in the past decade capable of handling 15% instead of 10% ethanol (which used to be the norm).

Gasoline With Added Materials

Many people wonder if adding materials to your fuel can be beneficial. This is a very standard question to have, given that there are many products on the market that are supposed to either improve the performance of your vehicle or its durability.

However, let it be clear that adding additives to your gasoline is strongly advised against by Land Rover and all other carmakers. Some of these additives will contain silicon or forms of metal that won’t ‘help clean your engine’ but will damage your car’s fuel system.

Instead, it’s advised that you buy gasoline that already has all the proper additives mixed into it. This type of fuel is typically referred to as TOP TIER. Gasoline from TOP TIER retailers has more than the minimum amount of additives mixed into it.

Furthermore, these retailers are regulated by their organization, and research has shown that the engine does stay cleaner (and therefore performs better) when using fuel from these retailers. You can find a retailer in your area via toptiergas.com.

What If I Hear A Knocking Noise From The Engine After Refilling?

Another important aspect of this car we’ve got to discuss is the potential knocking sound of the engine after refilling. It’s common for cars to produce a slight knocking sound, especially when they’re driving up a hill or when they’re towing things.

However, there are also moments where this becomes a problem. For example, if you hear a loud knocking noise coming from the engine right after filling up your tank, this is a reason for concern. In this case, you’ve likely used fuel with a lower than recommended octane rating.

Using a lower than recommended octane rating can result in engine misfiring, which causes the knocking sound. This is important because most Land Rover Discovery Sport have 91 octane recommended but can also take 87. However, if you notice a loud knocking noise with 87 octane gasoline, you’re advised to stop the car immediately.

In this case, your vehicle’s fuel system is likely not adapting to the lower octane gasoline as it’s supposed to do. It’s best to contact your garage or dealer because it’s very likely the car needs to be towed and drained of its fuel. Furthermore, the fuel filter will need to be replaced to get the whole system cleaned out.

Also read: 16 Common Problems Of A Land Rover Discovery Sport (L550)

Does the Land Rover Discovery Sport Have Good Gas Mileage?

Furthermore, it’s interesting to see the gas mileage the Land Rover Discovery gets. In the table below, we’ve outlined this data for you based on the generations and engine configurations that have been available.

What becomes clear here is that the fuel economy of the Discovery Sport is quite average. We expected to see this, given that Land Rovers aren’t particularly known for their great environmental footprint.

A 20 – 22 combined MPG is nothing to write home about, but it’s good to have this clear nevertheless.

Year	Combined	City	Highway
2014 – 2019 (2.0)	22	20	26
2020 – Present (2.0)	20	19	23
2020 – Present (MHEV)	21	19	24

What’s The Gas Tank Size Of A Land Rover Discovery Sport?

Land Rover Discovery Sport manufactured between 2014 – 2019 have a fuel tank capacity of 18.5 gallons (70 liters) when they run on gasoline, and they have a capacity of 17.2 gallons (65 liters) when they run on diesel.
Land Rover Discovery Sport manufactured from 2020 onwards have a fuel tank capacity of 17.7 gallons (67 liters) when running on gasoline and a capacity of 17.2 gallons (65 liters) when running on gasoline.

How Much Does It Cost To Fill Up A Discovery Sport?

Below, we’ll give you a rough overview of what it costs to fill up different kinds of Land Rover Discovery Sport models. This is, of course, subject to the gasoline prices in your area. We’ll calculate this with an average price of $4 per gallon.

Land Rover Discovery Sport manufactured between 2014 – 2019 with a gasoline engine cost $74 to fill up. Land Rover Discovery Sport manufactured from 2020 onwards and have a gasoline engine that costs $70,80 to fill up.

Sources

Stefan K.

Hi! My name is Stefan; I’m the owner and lead writer at TheDriverAdviser.com.

I’m an active writer on this blog myself, as well as a novice car mechanic. For the really technical stuff, I find writers with experience as a mechanic or who have studied mechanical engineering.

Read more about our fantastic team on our about page!

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