Woman discovers ethanol-free gas at USA station, says it costs more than usual

A woman filling up at USA Gas on June 27 found ethanol-free gasoline, in a market where the U.S. Energy Information Administration says most gasoline is about 10% ethanol. Her surprise underscored a basic reality of the U.S. fuel pool: E0 is a specialty product, while E10 is the default at most retail pumps.

Ethanol-free fuel is most often used by boaters, classic-car owners and small-engine users, not everyday drivers. The reason is practical, not promotional. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has warned that water in gasoline can behave differently depending on whether it is dissolved or separated, and ethanol can absorb water and create phase-separation issues in fuel that sits unused. For vehicles, the bigger consumer-facing distinction is mileage. FuelEconomy.gov says ethanol contains about one-third less energy than gasoline, so vehicles typically go 3% to 4% fewer miles per gallon on E10 than on gasoline without fuel ethanol.

That modest efficiency difference has helped fuel the misconception that ethanol-free gasoline is the superior everyday choice. The Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center says E10 is a low-level blend of 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline, and it is approved by the EPA for use in any conventional gasoline-powered vehicle. The same agency says E15 is gasoline with 15% ethanol, while E85 can contain up to 85% fuel ethanol depending on geography and season. In other words, the U.S. motor-fuel market is built around blends, not a single pure-gasoline standard.

Availability also shapes price. EIA says there are about 4,300 public E85 fueling stations across the U.S., but ethanol-free pumps are far less common and are often found through niche station maps and marina networks. That scarcity helps explain why E0 usually costs more than standard unleaded, even before any mileage comparison enters the equation.

The policy backdrop is the Renewable Fuel Standard, a federal program that requires transportation fuel sold in the U.S. to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuel. The rule traces to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and was expanded by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The Renewable Fuels Association says 2025 marked the 20-year anniversary of the RFS. For most drivers, the woman’s reaction at USA Gas was less about a hidden premium fuel than about how unusual ethanol-free gasoline remains in a market built around E10.