Types Of Gas A Chevy Cruze Uses (All Generations)

To know for sure what gas a Chevy Cruze takes, we will look into all the available fuel types and see what the manufacturer has to say about the particular fuel type you are allowed to use. After gathering all the data, we’ll outline all relevant information for you. Let’s start with a short summary:

A minimum of 87 octane is required for the 2011 – 2019 Chevy Cruze’s with the gasoline engine. Those with a diesel engine must have ultra-low sulfur diesel, not more than 15 ppm of sulfur.

In the article below, we’ll discuss everything you need to know regarding the fuel requirements of the different engines that have been offered in the Cruze. We’ll also look at fuel economy and gas tank sizes. Read on!

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Infographic explaining the different fuel types available for a Chevrolet Cruze.

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What Kind Of Gas Does A Chevy Cruze Take?

Second Generation (2016-2019)

The third generation of the Chevy Cruze had a 1.4L turbo and a 1.6L turbo engine, which took 87-octane gasoline, and a 1.6L turbo diesel which took ultra-low sulfur diesel no.1.

Engine	Fuel Requirement
1.4L Turbo	Regular 87 Octane
1.6L Turbo	Regular 87 Octane
1.6L Turbo Diesel	Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel No. 1, no more than 15ppm

87 octane, 89 octane and 91 octane fuel levels explained

First-generation (2011 – 2016)

This generation was released in 2009, and the US market started selling these in 2011. The diesel variant was introduced in 2014.

Engine	Fuel Requirement
1.4L (regular & turbo)	Regular 87 Octane
1.6L	Regular 87 Octane
1.8L	Regular 87 Octane
2.0L Turbo Diesel	Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel No. 1, no more than 15ppm

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

Reformulated Gasoline

Reformulated gasoline has been formulated to burn cleaner and has a smaller carbon footprint. Compared to regular gasoline, it reduces smog formation, and its emissions have fewer toxic pollutants. This is mainly a popular choice in states with air-quality issues.

For all generations of the Chevrolet Cruze, the owner’s manuals say that Chevrolet suggests using RFG since it is a cleaner and greener fuel with minimized effects on our environment. This is true with other models of the car like the Chevy Volt, Impala, and Spark too.

Gasoline/Oxygenated Blends Or E-85

Oxygenated blends are designed to burn more cleanly. Common examples of oxygenated blends of gasoline are ethanol or methanol mixes. Chevy advises against using fuel that has more than 15% ethanol, however, this does mean that E10 and E15 are safe to use. Furthermore, it’s good to know that no generation of the Chevy Cruze can take gasoline that’s mixed with methanol.

Ethanol levels for cars explained, E10, E15 and E85

Gasoline With Added Materials

Another gasoline-specific topic we will talk about is the use of additives that need to be mixed into your fuel. These additives are widely available on the market these days. Supposedly they do a whole range of different things, such as:

Boost the octane level in your fuel, thereby giving it better performance.
Help the engine clean itself more effectively.

However, it’s good to know that Chevy strongly advises against using additives in your Cruze. This is because these additives can contain materials such as silicon or metallics that will seriously damage the engine and the fuel system.

Therefore, it’s recommended that you buy fuel that already has all the proper additives mixed into it. This kind of fuel can be purchased at certified TOP TIER gasoline retailers. These retailers sell gasoline that will provide the optimal performance for your engine and clean it as well as possible without damaging it. You can find a retailer at toptiergas.com.

Intake valve deposits with conventional vs. TOP TIER fuel

Engine deposits with conventional vs. TOP TIER fuel — Intake valve deposits with conventional vs. TOP TIER fuel

Chevy advises using a bottle of GM Fuel System Treatment Plus if the TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline is not available in your region. You can add a bottle of this alternative at every oil change. It will help clean up the fuel injectors and the intake valves. This additive will be available at the dealership.

For the diesel variants, GM Suggests using the TOP TIER Detergent Diesel additive. If in case the additive is not available, an alternative “ACDelco Diesel Fuel Conditioner” can be used instead.

Gasoline With MMT

This is a type of additive that increases the octane rating of the fuel. However, it is not recommended by the manufacturer.

This additive MMT stands for Methylcyclopentadienyl Manganese Tricarbonyl, which damages the spark plugs and affects the emission control system performance. If the engine is damaged by using any of the additives not allowed by the manufacturer, the warranty will no longer be effective.

Similarly, MMT should not be added to the diesel variant. It will damage the emissions control system on top of damaging the spark plugs.

Biodiesel

This is a type of fuel that is used as an alternative to diesel fuel. It is mainly produced from vegetable oil, waste cooking oil, tallow, animal fats, etc. The refined – ready to use product is known as biodiesel. Biodiesel is normally mixed with regular diesel at about 5%. It has been shown to increase fuel economy and, on the other hand, lower emissions.

Chevy advises not to use more than 20% of biodiesel mixed with regular diesel – doing so will result in increased debris and will also cause the filters to clog up much earlier. To compensate, you would have to keep on changing oil filters regularly.

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

Furthermore, using fuels with an octane rating lower than recommended will result in severe damage to the engine, which is indicated by a symptom referred to as engine knock.

Engine knock means that the fuel can’t be adequately burned, resulting in a heavy knocking sound of the engine. A slight knocking sound is never a problem, but heavy knocking should be dealt with immediately.

Please stop the vehicle and contact your dealers if this heavy knocking occurs. You’re likely using fuel with a lower-than-recommended octane rating. The car needs to be drained, the fuel filter will need to be replaced, and the battery will need to be disconnected and reconnected to reset the car’s me

Does the Chevy Cruze Have Good Gas Mileage?

The Chevy Cruze was offered with both gasoline and diesel engine options. Below, we’ve outlined the mileage for every model year and engine type.

Second Generation (2016 – 2019)

red 2019 chevy cruze driving down mountain road

Engine	City MPG	Highway MPG
1.4L Turbo	30	40
1.6L Turbo	31	47
1.6L Turbo Diesel	31	49

First-generation (2011 – 2016)

silver 2011 chevy cruze parked in parking lot

Engine	City MPG	Highway
1.4L (regular & turbo)	26	37
1.6L	25	35
1.8L	22	34
2.0L Turbo Diesel	27	44

What’s The Gas Tank Size Of A Chevy Cruze?

Second Generation (2016-2019)

The base diesel model gets a 13.5-gallon tank, while the base gasoline gets a 13.7-gallon tank. The LS trim gets a smaller 12.0-gallon tank.

First-generation (2011-2016)

There are two different gas tank sizes available in the first-generation Chevy Cruze. One is the standard 15.6 gallons, while the other has a smaller option, reducing the fuel tank size to 12.6 gallons.

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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