Can The Lexus RX 350 Run on Regular Gas?

The Lexus RX 350 is the epitome of performance and luxury. 

It’s popular among SUV lovers, thanks to its interior comfort, engine refinement, a matchless record of reliability, and advanced safety features.

However, some of the major concerns are its fuel economy and the suitable type of gasoline to use. 

Can The Lexus RX 350 Run on Regular Gas?

You can run your Lexus RX 350 on regular gasoline. The minimum fuel recommended by manufacturers of the Lexus RX 350 model is 87 octane. Whether you are driving a standard Lexus RX 350, the bigger RX 350, or the sleek RX 350, regular gasoline is fine to use.

Using gasoline with a higher octane than recommended by your manufacturer cannot hurt your Lexus RX 350, but it’ll not help either. 

Generally, premium fuel engines have high turbochargers or compression ratios.

Regular gas engines do not have the components required to reap the numerous efficiency and performance advantages associated with premium gasoline. 

At the cost of around fifty cents or more per gallon of fuel, why pay for premium gasoline you don’t need?

Which Lexus Models Need Premium Fuel?

Lexus recommends using premium fuel on some of its models.

These are the models with engines designed to use high octane gasoline to run without ignition. 

If your Lexus needs premium fuel only, you have no choice but to use premium gasoline lest you damage your vehicle’s engine. 

Nowadays, drivers no longer go for premium fuel due to its additives and cleanliness.

Thanks to the current emissions regulations, even regular gasoline comes with additives and is cleaner to protect your car’s engine.

As such, you don’t have to opt for premium fuel unless your vehicle needs high octane gasoline to perform optimally. 

Many Lexus models operate effectively on regular gasoline. 

That means you can utilize regular fuel without any damage to your engine. 

Although using premium fuel will slightly enhance gas mileage and performance, you might not notice the difference.

Lexus SUVs such as RX, NX Hybrid, UX, and UX Hybrid need a minimum octane rating of 87, which means they can run on regular gasoline without damaging the engine. 

Other SUVs such as Lexus NX, GX, LX, and RX Hybrid use premium fuel. 

The manufacturer recommends a minimum octane rating of 91 for these high-performance cars. 

All high-performance cars manufactured by Lexus require premium gas with high octane. 

The engines of these vehicles run with a higher compression ratio to produce more power.

Running high-performance cars on regular gasoline will knock, resulting in engine damage.

Can I Run My Lexus on Regular Gasoline if the Manufacturer Recommends Premium Fuel?

Many manufacturers recommend regular fuel for people who are looking for better performance. 

As such, you’ll have no problems using regular gasoline unless the manufacturer requires you to use premium gas only. 

Premium fuel has a higher octane rating that prevents pinging or knocking. 

Utilizing the wrong gas on high-performance vehicles can result in sudden damage to your engine parts. 

Nowadays, engines have more enhanced features that can easily regulate ignition timing to prevent pinging. 

The ability to control detonation normally tunes the engine, giving car owners more flexibility in the type of gasoline they use. 

If a high-performance vehicle requires more ignition advance, its spark plug will fire sooner, which explains how these vehicles produce more power and go fast. 

The spark plug does not fire sooner in vehicles that utilize low octane gas.

That results in slower acceleration because low octane gasoline doesn’t support ignition advance when a driver wants rapid acceleration. 

You’ll notice power loss more if your vehicle has a turbocharged gas engine. 

However, if you accelerate your car moderately, you’ll not realize any changes in engine performance. 

What Happens if You Mix Regular and Premium Gasoline?

Mixing premium and regular gasoline is dangerous and not recommended. 

According to manufacturers, you need to know the right gas for your vehicle and stick to it. 

Combining the two fuels will not only cause loud metallic sounds in your engine, but you might also experience constant and pinging noise from the engine. 

Using both premium and regular gasoline in your Lexus may also cause engine detonation, increasing the probability of engine damage. 

It’ll also void your warranty even if your vehicle is new. 

Always use the recommended octane ratio of your Lexus because doing the opposite will only cause more damage.

What Will Happens if I Don’t Utilize Premium Fuel In My Lexus?

Some Lexus models require regular gasoline, while others need premium fuel because the octane rating of each model varies significantly by year.

Models that use regular gas have a minimum octane rating of 87, while the octane rating of those that use premium fuel is 97. 

The gas you use in your vehicle significantly depends on what the manufacturer requires. 

Lexus needs high octane fuel for its high-performance vehicles. 

These models come with high compression engines that detonate if you utilize lower octane gas. 

If your Lexus model needs premium gas, it simply means the maker designed the engine to use high octane gas. 

However, if you run your vehicle on regular fuel when the manufacturer recommends premium gas, the performance of your vehicle and the fuel economy will suffer. 

Regular gasoline may also increase the probability of uncontrolled self-combustion, causing engine knocking. 

The knocking normally starts slow, and it can become more consistent, and the noise can be annoying sometimes. 

Knocking can cause damage to some ignition system components like valves, pistons, and spark plugs. 

The bottom line is if your Lexus requires you to use premium fuel, don’t use regular gasoline.

If your engine incurs damage from using the wrong fuel, you’ll void your warranty. 

That means you’ll have to pay for all the damages, which is often more than the bucks you save purchasing regular gas.

Is Premium Fuel Better for Your Engine’s Cleanliness?

You will know if your car requires premium gasoline by looking at the user manual. 

This manual indicates the octane rating your vehicle needs for the best performance and to minimize probabilities of engine knocking. 

If your vehicle does not need premium gasoline, using it doesn’t affect the cleanliness of your engine. 

Running your car on premium fuel does not prevent engine residues, remove the sediments, or clean your engine any more than regular gasoline. 

Besides, fuel refinery regulations ensure that any octane-grade fuel is safe for the environment and your engine. 

The EPA requires all fuel grades and brands to have cleaning additives that protect your engine against deposits buildup and clean the engine.

So, whether you use regular or premium gasoline, your car’s engine will be completely safe from fuel deposits. 

Some car engines knock even when using gas with the right octane rating. 

If that happens, you can switch to a high-grade fuel and see if it’ll resolve the problem.

If the pinging sounds continue after shifting to a fuel with a higher octane rating, you might need to take your vehicle for repairs or service. 

After the routine maintenance, you can switch to the octane rating recommended for your car.

Bottom Line

Lexus vehicles are luxurious. However, most of their cars have specific requirements.

Although you can run your vehicle on regular gasoline, the minimum fuel recommended by manufacturers for Lexus RX 350 models is 87octane.

As a rule, you should not use gasoline whose octane rating does not meet the manufacturer’s minimum requirements. 

You can see the required octane rating of RX 350 or any other Lexus model on the provided user manual. 

Apart from using regular gas, you can keep your RX 350 in good condition by giving it regular tire rotations, oil changes, battery checks, and multi-point inspections.