Various gasoline brands often try to convince customers that their fuel will provide better performance or other advantages. People may also claim that gasoline comes from different countries depending upon the brands. The fuels they sell are really much the same; actual differences are less obvious.

As an Energy Information Administration document points out, gasoline sold by a certain chain isn't necessarily produced by its drilling operations or refineries. Gas sold at different stations in the same region might come from a single terminal, and various brands may pump their gasoline into the same pipeline, where it becomes mixed. However, there may be some small differences in additives.

So when you choose which station to use when filling up your vehicle or other equipment, consider differences like: price, discounts available, fuel grade options, convenience, full service availability, and waiting time. The employment, business, or charitable practices of a certain chain might also be taken into consideration. All of these factors are more important than any minor differences in the fuel.

One example of actual differences is that the Irving chain emphasizes that its stations have clean restrooms which are available to the public. This is verifiable and clearly benefits customers. Another example: Citgo offers significantly discounted heating oil to low-income residents of some regions which experience cold temperatures during the winter. Other brands haven't done this.

Take things like this into account when selecting which gas brands to buy gasoline from; differences from one company's gasoline to another are mostly just marketing hype, and there's no real way to determine what country or region a specific station's fuel actually comes from.