# 2018 Chevrolet Volt - will gas go bad if I don’t use it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** chevrolet, volt\ **Created:** [March 28, 2020, 2:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2018-chevrolet-volt-will-gas-go-bad-if-i-don-t-use-it/161965 "2020-03-28T02:30:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![shannonfam\_165851](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@shannonfam\_165851](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shannonfam_165851)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2020, 2:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2018-chevrolet-volt-will-gas-go-bad-if-i-don-t-use-it/161965/1 "2020-03-28T02:30:12Z")
When I leased my Volt in December 2017 it came with a full tank of gas. Except for one trip from Sacramento to San Francisco (where I used less than 1/2 tank of gas) I rarely drive on anything but battery. My first gas refill was not for 18 months! Can gas go bad? If so, what should i do? I would use a siphon and take out the gas and put it in my lawnmower, but that is electric too! n ---
**Author:** ![shanonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@shanonia](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shanonia)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2020, 3:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2018-chevrolet-volt-will-gas-go-bad-if-i-don-t-use-it/161965/2 "2020-03-29T15:42:19Z")
Read the owners manual. Some such cars detect when fuel is getting old and then run the gas engine more. ---
**Author:** ![COROLLAGUY1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/corollaguy1/32/7575_2.png) [@COROLLAGUY1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/COROLLAGUY1)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2020, 3:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2018-chevrolet-volt-will-gas-go-bad-if-i-don-t-use-it/161965/3 "2020-03-29T15:51:08Z")
Drive it until the tank goes almost empty then refill with fresh gas ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2020, 3:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2018-chevrolet-volt-will-gas-go-bad-if-i-don-t-use-it/161965/4 "2020-03-29T15:56:53Z")
If you are really worried about it, add a gasoline stabilizer when you fill up. Do it before you add the gas to aid in mixing. ---
**Author:** ![ken2116](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f19dbf/32.png) [@ken2116](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ken2116)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 5:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2018-chevrolet-volt-will-gas-go-bad-if-i-don-t-use-it/161965/5 "2020-04-18T05:51:14Z")
Aging fuel was a concern of the designers and I believe they did some things to attempt to mitigate it, like designing the fuel system to limit venting. But 18mo. is a long time, especially if the tank wasn’t kept topped off, and there must be something in the owners manual about this. If the gas has turned bad consider having it drained to preserve fuel system components and resolve to burn gas at least at the recommended rate. ---
**Author:** ![wolyrobb](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wolyrobb/32/45497_2.png) [@wolyrobb](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wolyrobb)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 7:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2018-chevrolet-volt-will-gas-go-bad-if-i-don-t-use-it/161965/6 "2020-04-18T07:19:38Z")
A good explanation of what the car does if you don’t use gas much. [https://www.plugincars.com/putting-thought-putting-gas-chevy-volt-69473.html](https://www.plugincars.com/putting-thought-putting-gas-chevy-volt-69473.html) "If you haven’t burned fuel for a while, the dashboard display will encourage you to burn some gas, by driving the vehicle beyond its 40 miles battery-supplied power. You can ignore the call to action, but after two warnings about the need to drive using some gasoline, the car will take matters into its own hands. The Volt will then start up the gas engine in order to burn off stale gasoline, circulate engine oil, and pressurize the engine system. When the car completes this “engine and fuel maintenance mode,” it shuts down again, giving the reins solely back to the electric motor. At that point—for drivers who stay close to home—the gasoline is again left in reserve for days, weeks or months, until your next rare and infrequent trip to the pumps." ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 12:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2018-chevrolet-volt-will-gas-go-bad-if-i-don-t-use-it/161965/7 "2020-04-18T12:13:31Z")
> [@wolyrobb](#): > > the car will take matters into its own hands. The Volt will then start up the gas engine in order to burn off stale gasoline, circulate engine oil, and pressurize the engine system. That’s good for the Volt’s gasoline engine, but it would be… _not so good for people_… if the vehicle is kept in a garage that is attached to one’s house. If I owned one of these vehicles, I would be sure to park it outside, rather than in my garage. 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 2:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2018-chevrolet-volt-will-gas-go-bad-if-i-don-t-use-it/161965/8 "2020-04-18T14:02:35Z")
Pretty sure it means the engine will run while driving even if the battery is charged. ---
**Author:** ![Cavell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cavell/32/43396_2.png) [@Cavell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cavell)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 2:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2018-chevrolet-volt-will-gas-go-bad-if-i-don-t-use-it/161965/9 "2020-04-18T14:06:30Z")
The warranty will cover any issues from bad gas. Right? ---
**Author:** ![asemaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@asemaster](https://community.cartalk.com/u/asemaster)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 2:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2018-chevrolet-volt-will-gas-go-bad-if-i-don-t-use-it/161965/10 "2020-04-18T14:59:17Z")
> [@VDCdriver](#): > > That’s good for the Volt’s gasoline engine, but it would be… _not so good for people_ … if the vehicle is kept in a garage that is attached to one’s house. Nah, it doesn’t start all by itself and run the engine. The car will use the gas engine when you drive it instead of the battery. If the car just sits in the garage nothing happens. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 4:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2018-chevrolet-volt-will-gas-go-bad-if-i-don-t-use-it/161965/11 "2020-04-18T16:02:51Z")
That is good to know. Wolyrobb’s post did not make that clear. ---
**Author:** ![RandomTroll](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/randomtroll/32/12184_2.png) [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 5:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2018-chevrolet-volt-will-gas-go-bad-if-i-don-t-use-it/161965/12 "2020-04-18T17:53:39Z")
I’ve had no consequences from burning gasoline 18 months old. Every year (or fill-up, if that’s longer than a year) I add a bottle of _Iso-Heet_ (to scavenge water) and another of gasoline cleaner (to dissolve varnish). I re-built my carburetor a few years ago (the accelerator pump was leaking) and found it clean, no varnish. It was 30 years old then.