Here’s why you can get away with at least 87 octane, regardless of year or engine.
First on sale in 1993, the mid-size Nissan Altima continues to be one of Nissan’s bestsellers.
Offered with only one engine through 2001, the third generation Nissan Altima saw Nissan offer an optional high-performance 3.5L V6 for the first time.
And, although Nissan dropped the naturally aspirated V6 for model year 2019, they replaced it with a 2.0L VC Turbo four-cylinder, a setup that has even more peak torque despite being significantly smaller.
Naturally, owners wonder if they need premium fuel in their more powerful Altima engines.
Going through each generation, here’s why you can get away with using cheap 87 octane in all Nissan engines, regardless of year and engine size, but recommends premium for Altima’s more powerful V6 and 2.0T engines.
1993-1997 (First generation)
Fuel Recommended: Nissan recommends unleaded fuel with at least 87 Octane. Octane as low as 85 AKI can be used in a pinch. Premium fuel is not recommended or needed.
There’s only one engine option for the first gen Altima, a naturally aspirated 2.4L KA24DE that puts out an adequate 150 HP.
Here’s what the owner’s manual has to say on the matter.
1998-2001 (Second generation)
Fuel Recommended: Nissan recommends unleaded fuel with at least 87 Octane. Octane as low as 85 AKI can be used in a pinch. Premium fuel is not recommended or needed.
Second generation Altima’s got the same engine tweaked for more power, from 150 hp to 160 hp. That also means fuel recommendation stays exactly the same.
Here’s what a 2001 Nissan Altima Owner’s manual says on the matter.
2002-2006 (Third generation)
Fuel recommended:
- For 2.5L engine- use regular gas with octane of at least 87.
- For 3.5L V6- use regular gas with octane of at least 87. For improved vehicle performance, NISSAN recommends using premium gas with an octane rating of at least 91.
Third generation Altimas now got an optional 3.5L V6 engine that put out 270 HP and 258 lb-ft. It’s OK to use a cheaper grade of gas of at least 87 octane, even if you have the V6, but, if you want the full 270 HP, premium fuel is recommended.
Here’s what the owner’s manual says on the matter.
2007-2013 (Fourth generation)
Fuel recommended: All engines, incl. the 3.5L V6- Use regular gas with an octane rating of at least 87.
Fourth generation Altimas see the high performance 3.5L V6 carry over but, as the manual hints at, Nissan engineers tweaked the 3.5L V6 to deliver its full 270 HP even with at least 87 octane. There are no power gains by using a premium grade of gas, therefore premium is not needed or recommended.
Here’s what the 2012 Nissan Altima Owner’s manual says about fuel recommendation.
2013-2018 (fifth generation)
Fuel recommended: All engines, incl. the 3.5L V6 use regular gas with an octane rating of at least 87.
Fifth generation Altimas got revised, modern styling, but the engines offered remain the same and, so is the fuel recommendation.
Here’s what the 2013 Nissan Altima’s owner’s manual says about fuel recommendation.
2019-2022+ (sixth generation)
Fuel recommended: All engines, incl. the 3.5L V6- Use regular gas with an octane rating of at least 87.
Sixth generation Altimas dropped the optional 3.5L V6 for a smaller 2.0L four cylinder with a variable compression turbo with up to 248 HP and 273 lb-ft.
If you use at least 87 octane in their 2.0L Turbo engines, power is 236 HP and 267 lb-ft.
If you use at least 93 octane, power jumps to 248 HP and 273 lb-ft.
Since 93 octane is NOT easily found, Nissan does not include that recommendation in their owner’s manual, therefore it’s not a recommended fuel.
But, if you want to tap into the 2.0L VC’s full power, you’re going to have to find premium fuel with at least 93 octane. Premium fuel rated at 91 octane is not good enough and will deliver the lower 236 HP/267 lb-ft power level.
Here’s what the 2022 Nissan Altima’s owner’s manual says about fuel recommendation.
