Not all gasoline is created equal, even when the octane number on the pump matches. The industry’s TOP TIER™ Detergent Gasoline program, developed with input from automakers including GM, Honda, Toyota, and BMW, sets a higher detergency standard than the federal minimum, aimed at keeping intake valves and injectors cleaner over time.

If you’ve ever wondered whether paying a few cents more at a name-brand station actually buys you anything, the TOP TIER list is the place to start. Here are eight widely available brands that carry the certification, according to the official TOP TIER brand directory.

Chevron with Techron

Chevron has marketed its Techron additive package for decades, and the company is a founding participant in the TOP TIER program, according to the TOP TIER brand list. Techron is a proprietary detergent blend Chevron says is formulated to clean up deposits on intake valves and fuel injectors that can form from lower-detergency fuel over time. Chevron also sells Techron as a standalone bottled additive at auto parts stores, which tells you the company is confident enough in the chemistry to sell it separately. For daily drivers logging highway miles or short stop-and-go trips that tend to build up carbon deposits, a TOP TIER station with Techron in every grade is an easy, no-extra-effort way to hedge against buildup. It won’t undo years of neglect in one fill-up, but consistent use is the more realistic win here, and Chevron’s own Techron product page outlines the intake-valve and injector claims in more detail.

Shell with Shell V-Power

Shell is listed as a TOP TIER retailer across its grades, and the brand has spent years promoting its own proprietary cleaning technology, positioned as going beyond the base TOP TIER detergency requirement. Shell V-Power, its top-tier premium grade, is aimed at drivers who want the highest detergency the brand offers, though Shell’s regular-grade fuel is also TOP TIER certified per the official brand directory, so you don’t necessarily need to pay for premium to get the certification. Shell stations are also among the most widespread name brands in the U.S., which matters in practice: a certification is only useful if you can actually find the pump. For road-trippers who want to stick with one certified brand across state lines without hunting for a specific regional chain, Shell’s national footprint is a practical advantage worth factoring in alongside the fuel chemistry itself.

ExxonMobil (Exxon and Mobil stations)

Both Exxon and Mobil-branded stations appear on the TOP TIER list, which is notable because it means drivers get the certification whichever of the two co-branded names happens to be closer. ExxonMobil markets its Synergy-branded detergent package across both banners, and the company has been part of the TOP TIER program since its inception, according to the TOP TIER site. For anyone comparing brands purely on availability, Exxon and Mobil combined make up one of the largest retail fuel networks in the country, so this is often the path of least resistance to a certified fill-up. If your routine already includes one of these two brands out of habit, there’s no need to switch; the detergency standard is already built into the pump, whether you’re filling up with the entry grade or paying more for Synergy Supreme+.

Costco (Kirkland Signature fuel)

Costco’s gas stations, which sell fuel under its own Kirkland Signature name at member-only pumps, are TOP TIER certified according to the official directory. That surprises some shoppers who assume warehouse-club fuel is a lower-grade commodity product, but the detergent package meets the same industry-backed standard as fuel from major oil-company brands. Combined with Costco’s typically lower per-gallon pricing, this makes it one of the better value plays on this list for members who already shop there. The tradeoff is accessibility: Costco fuel is restricted to members, and lines at popular locations can be long during peak hours. But for a household that’s already paying for a membership, filling up at Costco is a straightforward way to get TOP TIER detergency without paying a name-brand premium at the pump.

Sunoco

Sunoco is TOP TIER certified across its lineup, per the TOP TIER brand list, and the brand has built part of its identity around high-octane options, including its 260 racing-grade fuel sold at select stations for enthusiasts running high-compression or forced-induction engines. For most daily drivers, the more relevant grades are Sunoco’s standard 87, 89, and 93 octane options, all of which carry the same detergency certification. Sunoco has a strong presence in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic in particular, so drivers in those regions are more likely to have a Sunoco station in easy reach than someone on the West Coast. It’s a good example of how the TOP TIER list includes both the giant multinational brands and the more regionally concentrated ones, so it pays to check the list for what’s actually near you rather than assuming only the biggest names qualify.

Marathon

Marathon Petroleum’s retail brand is TOP TIER certified, according to the official list, and the company has a dense station network concentrated in the Midwest and Southeast. Marathon doesn’t market its detergent package with the same consumer-facing branding push as Chevron’s Techron or Shell’s proprietary formula, but the underlying requirement is the same: TOP TIER certification means the fuel exceeds the EPA’s minimum detergent additive requirement by a meaningful margin, based on standards the program’s member automakers helped define. For drivers in Marathon’s core geography, that means getting the certification without having to seek out a coastal brand or pay a premium-brand markup. It’s a useful reminder that TOP TIER status isn’t limited to the handful of brands with the biggest advertising budgets, and regional chains can meet the exact same bar.

Phillips 66, Conoco, and 76

Phillips 66 and its sister brands Conoco and 76 are all TOP TIER certified, per the TOP TIER directory, giving drivers three separate station names backed by the same parent company and fuel standard. That’s a meaningful convenience if you’re driving across regions where one of the three names is more common than the others; Conoco tends to show up more in the central U.S., 76 is a familiar sight on the West Coast, and Phillips 66 spans both. Because all three draw from the same corporate fuel supply chain, there’s no meaningful difference in detergency between them, so brand loyalty to one over another really comes down to location and price rather than any difference in what’s actually in the tank.

QuikTrip (QT)

QuikTrip, commonly known as QT, is TOP TIER certified according to the official brand list, and it’s one of several convenience-store chains that also refine and sell their own fuel rather than simply rebranding a major oil company’s product. QT has a loyal following in the states where it operates, largely in the Midwest and South, built as much on its convenience-store offerings as its fuel. For drivers in QT’s footprint, it’s a good example of a chain that competes directly with the big oil-company brands on price while still meeting the same detergency bar. As with several other chains on this list, the lesson is the same: checking the actual TOP TIER directory for your area is more useful than assuming certification tracks with brand size or national recognition.