My new Toyota Avalon user guide calls for 87 or higher, but in parenthesis it says research octane number 91.
When you fill up at your local gas station, go ahead and pump 87-octane gasoline into your Avalon. The research octane number in the owner’s manual is a rating that’s primarily used in other parts of the world, and could be useful if you travel outside the U.S.
The pump octane rating at U.S. pumps is an average of two lab-tested octane ratings, which includes the research octane number and a motor octane number. Look at the pump the next time you fill up and you’ll see the formula, (R+M)/2.
Other countries might only use the RON as a measure of octane, which will be listed on the pump as the advertised octane. Because of this, the rating on U.S. gas pumps is typically four to five points lower than other parts of the world, according to a Toyota spokesman.
Learn more
See if your question has already been asked and answered
Your question has been successfully submitted to Ask.cars.com. It will now be reviewed by our editors and we'll answer it soon if we think it's a useful question. You will be notified via e-mail when the answer is posted. Ask.cars.com tackles your questions about new cars and the car-buying process. Unfortunately we can't answer questions regarding:
Have our experts answer any of your questions about new cars.
Don't worry — we won't publish your last name or email.
