Most every
American living in México soon discover the price of fuel is
uniform throughout México, with the possible exception of border areas
and very remote locations. The only formal seller of fuel is Pemex, the
nationally owned "Petroleos Mexicanos" oil monopoly. Other companies may
sell lubricating oil (e.g., Quaker State is quite popular), but only
Pemex distributes and sells fuel.
(Note: Beginning in December 2002, a policy of lower prices within 25
km. of the border was implemented. This will allow Pemex stations to
more effectively compete with U.S. stations. As a general rule, this
will not affect most travelers to Baja California.)
In some remote locations you will
encounter individuals selling gasoline out of barrels. There will be no
uniformity of price in this situation. The hefty premium you'll be
asked to pay may very well be "inexpensive" given the difficulties of
getting the fuel to that location. Exercise a bit of caution in this
situation, especially if the barrel is almost empty and you might be
getting some rust or water mixed with the fuel.
| |
Pemex stations typically accept
only cash (i.e., no
checks or credit cards)!
|
There are two grades of unleaded gasoline sold in
México:
|
PEMEX |
Magna
|
86 octane
-- Look for the green
sign |
|
|
|
PEMEX |
Premium
|
91 octane
-- Look for the red
sign
|
|
|
PEMEX |
Diesel
|
Look for the
black sign |
|
Diesel fuel is readily available due to the large number of trucks on
the highway - however, don't confuse the green Magna gasoline
pump with a diesel pump as might be the case in the U.S.. The diesel
pumps are often purple or red, and are usually sited
on a separate island - the marking is "Diesel" or "Diesel Sin." The
usual warning about water in diesel fuel applies more so along the Baja
highways. Try to use only the large stations which have a lot of truck
traffic that keeps the fuel from sitting in the tanks for long periods
of time.
