The price of fuel is uniform throughout Mexico, with the possible exception of some border areas where fuel may be priced to reflect competition across the border. The only 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 (often through franchises).

Note that Pemex stations typically accept only cash (i.e., no checks or credit cards)!

There are two grades of unleaded gasoline sold in Mexico:

• "Magna Sin" (87 octane) and
  
  
• "Premium" (91 octane).

Magna Sin is sold in all stations, and has traditionally been delivered from a green pump ("bomba"). Premium was introduced in 1997 and is offered only in the busier or newer stations.

Diesel fuel is readily available due to the large number of trucks on the highway - however, don't confuse the green Magna Sin gasoline pump with a diesel pump as might be the case in the U.S.. The diesel pumps are 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.

At popular times there may be gasoline supply problems, especially in the central region of the peninsula. One time to be especially careful is "Easter week" - a major travel time in Mexico. Another possibly difficult time is after Christmas when many U.S. and Canadian RV's are heading both north and south before the new year begins.

Unexpected delays in fuel delivery can cause major problems (see the "Gas Crisis" story linked below). This may be brought on by difficulties occurring anywhere from the refinery to the delivery truck. Especially, keep in mind that the central part of the peninsula is supplied from either the northern (Ensenada) or southern (La Paz) extremes, and there are lots of problems for those tank trucks to experience in traversing the large distances.

An Aside: A story about a gas crisis

Gauge the distance to the next station and the likelihood that there will be fuel at that station - do not rely on the distance measurements printed on the blue or green gas pump signs along the highway.

Imagine that the next station is out of fuel, and think about what you would do if that turned out to be the case.

While it's true that gasoline supply problems are not nearly as acute as they used to be, this general improvement will be of no consolation it you end up stuck in mid-peninsula waiting for the tank truck to arrive.

Location	Magna Sin	Prem	Diesel	Description
Tijuana	Yes	Yes	Yes	Numerous stations
Ensenada & Maneadero	Yes	Yes	Yes	Numerous stations
Santo Tomás	Yes	?	No	On the west side of the highway.
San Vicente to Col. Vicente Guerrero	Yes	Yes	Yes	Several stations.
San Quintin North	Yes	Yes	Yes	North end of town at the stoplight. Well-known for rip-offs!
San Quintin South	Yes	?	No	West side of highway near the plaza. This is the town of Lazaro Cardenas.
El Rosario	Yes	Yes	Yes	At the bottom of the hill - north end of town. The station was completely renovated in 1998. Pay before you pump.
Cataviña	Yes	?	Yes	This is one of the most unreliable fuel sources along the highway. Don't count on finding fuel at Cataviña!
L.A. Bay Junction	Maybe	No	No	The old station is closed. The only fuel is sold out of barrels by local entrepreneurs - on an occasional basis. Expect to pay a healthy premium.
L. A. Bay	Yes	No	Yes	There is no regular station. Fuel may be available at Casa Diaz. Expect to pay a healthy premium - they have to haul the fuel a long distance.
Jesús María	Yes	No	Yes	Several of the pumps do not calculate the total price. Helps to have a calculator with you.
Guerrero Negro	Yes	?	Yes	The station(s) are in town. I'm not sure if there are still two. A new station has been building by the Eagle Monument - but seems stalled.
Vizcaino	Yes	?	Yes	This station was renovated in 1999. It's a major fueling stop for trucks, so the diesel should be water free.
San Ignacio	Yes	?	?	On the highway near the turnoff to town. They may have added diesel recently.
Santa Rosalia	Yes	?	Yes	Right on the highway south of the ferry terminal. Well-known for rip-offs!
Mulegé	Yes	?	Yes	Two stations: one inside town (not recommended for RVs due to the narrow streets) and the other about a mile south of town on the highway.
Loreto	Yes	?	Yes	Two stations inside the town (i.e., off the highway).
Cd. Insurgentes	Yes	?	Yes	Two stations: one north of the "Y" intersection and the other several miles east of the "Y".
Cd. Constitución	Yes	Yes	Yes	Several stations - all on the west side of the highway. Some are pay before you pump.
El Cien	Yes	?	Yes
La Paz	Yes	Yes	Yes	Numerous stations.
Todos Santos	Yes	?	Yes	Where the road turns.
Los Cabos	Yes	Yes	Yes	Numerous stations.
Route 1: La Paz to San José	Yes	?	Yes	A number of stations: San Antonio, Los Barriles, La Ribera, Santiago, and near Miraflores

There are a number of common gas station rip-offs the tourist should be aware of. Here is a general list:

• The pump is not "zeroed" when pumping is started.
  
  
• Incorrect change is offered under the assumption that the tourist will be ignorant of the coins, or too timid to complain.
  
  
• The "emergency stop" button is pushed while you're not looking. This resets the register to some even amount ($90, $80, etc.), and then the attendent explains that you owe that amount and it will be added to the amount from the remaining fillup. He must then reset the pump by holding the button down, and at this point you will see the register counting down by 10's to zero.
  
  This is probably most frequently used when there are two tanks being filled. The best known station for this activity is the Santa Rosalia Pemex station. (Thanks to Dave Stogner (stoglet@aol.com) for explaining this scam!)
  
  
• The pump is mis-calibrated to read high. Unfortunately, there is nothing to be done about this scam.

I've been bitten at the stations in San Quintin (north) and Santa Rosalia. These have been the two stations most commonly reported as being the site of dishonest attendants. Don't expect to get anywhere with the management, or even the local police, if you are cheated at these stations. I'd strongly recommend avoiding both of these stations, if possible.

In the late 80's, the Santa Rosalia station was closed by the government for a period. I did not know the story behind the closure until David Eidell passed on the following (1998):

A federal attorney passing through Santa Rosalia was ripped-off at the station. When he confronted the personnel (as a citizen) they laughed and called the local cops. Enraged, the attorney called Mexico City and spoke briefly with de La Madrid, then the President of Mexico. The next day, federal police swooped down on the station and closed it down for two weeks, and arrested everyone from the owner down to the attendants!