For some years now, so-called Premium Diesel has been available at most petrol stations. Depending on the provider, it is also called Ultimate Diesel, Diesel V Power or Excellium Diesel – but what is behind these marketing words and how does the Premium Diesel differ from the normal one?
⏰ In a nutshell
- Supposed advantages of premium fuels
- Premium diesel is not worth it
- Up to 20 cents per liter more expensive than diesel
- No demonstrable benefits in everyday life
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What is Premium Diesel?
So-called premium diesel is supposed to deliver increased engine performance through better combustion, also cause fewer emissions and also provide more range. There is also talk of lower consumption, less wear and tear and a cleaning effect on the engine.
What are the advantages of Premium Diesel?
When oil companies advertise their power diesel, they talk about a lot of advantages:
- Smoother engine running due to higher cetane count
- Engine runs quieter
- Engine is cleaned
- Engine performance is optimized
- Reduced consumption
- Less soot and emissions
However, these are difficult to prove in practice, so you should take the advertising messages of Aral, Shell & Co. with a little caution.
Is Premium Diesel worth it?
In the vast majority of cases, premium diesel is not worth it. The cost of a litre is sometimes up to 20 cents higher than the price of classic diesel. The savings in consumption and the supposedly lower wear and tear cannot justify the very high price of premium diesel, as the effect is extremely difficult to verify.
If you look at the fuel price development, you will quickly notice that the prices for premium diesel were enormously high from the beginning and will certainly continue to rise.
Are there cars that need premium fuels?
For cars with high-performance engines, premium fuels are recommended to achieve full performance. The higher octane number is intended to ensure better combustion performance, especially in sports cars. However, there are really only a few cars that benefit from a premium fuel – and here, too, the question arises as to whether the additional costs are really worth the benefits.
If you actually fill up with E10 gasoline, then you are welcome to afford a tank of premium gasoline and test for yourself whether there is a difference. You can't harm the engine if you fill up with gasoline with a higher octane number – it becomes problematic if you fill up with the wrong fuel, i.e. diesel instead of gasoline or vice versa.
Frequently asked questions about premium fuels
The names of the premium fuels at the various petrol stations are sometimes enormously confusing. Often you can't even see whether it's gasoline or diesel. That's why we have some answers for you here.
How expensive is premium diesel?
Of course, the exact cost per litre differs depending on the fuel provider. On average, however, you can expect to pay 20 cents per litre more than if you were to fill up with normal diesel. Here are the average costs (as of March 2025) for premium diesel from the various suppliers. In brackets, we have given the normal diesel price for comparison:
- Aral Ultimate Diesel: €1.86 per litre (€1.61 per litre)
- Shell V Power: €1.79 per litre (€1.58 per litre)
- Total Excellium Diesel: €1.76 per litre (€1.59 per litre)
- BP Ultimate Diesel: €1.90 per litre (€1.69 per litre)
- Esso Supreme+ Diesel: €1.71 per litre (€1.59 per litre)
BP is listed in Germany as Aral. The listed price for the BP Ultimate Diesel is from Austria.
Can you alternate between refuelling premium diesel and normal diesel?
Yes, that's usually not a problem. The Premium Diesel does not cause any damage to your engine. However, the cleaning performance, which is attributed to the premium diesel, among other things, decreases if you mix both types.
Where can I get Premium Diesel?
The large petrol stations of Shell, Aral, Esso or Total offer premium diesel. If you want to refuel at a smaller gas station, the premium fuels may not be available due to lack of space.
Which premium diesel is the best?
There are no current tests or studies that rate one premium diesel product better than another. Basically, all premium fuels have the same advantages and disadvantages.
What are the different premium diesels?
The following premium diesels are available at the Aral, BP, Total, Shell, Esso and Total petrol stations:
- Aral Ultimate Diesel
- Shell V Power
- Total Excellium Diesel
- BP Ultimate Diesel
- Esso Supreme+ Diesel
Aral Ultimate Diesel, Shell Premium Diesel, etc. – What's the difference?
All premium diesels are supplemented with special additives for a higher octane number and cleaning agents for engine cleaning. It is possible that the composition differs a little, but basically it is the same for each of the premium diesels. Which diesel is the cheapest depends on many factors. As of March 2025, the Esso Supreme+ diesel was the cheapest on average.
What premium diesel is available in Austria?
There are also some premium diesel brands in our neighboring country Austria. Here is a selection:
- OMV MaxxMotion Performance Diesel
- Aral Ultimate Diesel
- bp Ultimate Diesel
- Xtreme Diesel (Pink Gas Stations)
- Shell V-Power Diesel
What tests and experiences are there for Premium Diesel?
A few years ago, the ADAC carried out a test with premium fuels. No advantages over conventional types of fuel could be demonstrated. Only the premium diesel had a low added value of 3 to 5 percent – but this is too low to justify the significantly higher cost per liter.
Most vehicles are designed for 98 octane – 100 octane, as premium fuels contain, are therefore not recognized by the vast majority of cars and therefore have no effect. If you still believe that your car runs better after filling up with premium diesel, this is unfortunately usually a placebo effect.
Try Premium Diesel yourself? – What to keep in mind
Would you like to see for yourself? No problem – just pay attention to the following things if you want to test a premium diesel:
- It is best to test Premium Diesel when the engine is running unsteadily (only if everything else is in order).
- Only fill up with premium diesel when the tank is almost empty.
- Only after 2-3 tank fillings is the conventional diesel completely removed.
- Observe engine running, performance and consumption to determine differences.
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