# Should I use a fuel preservative for a plug-in hybrid?

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-use-a-fuel-preservative-for-a-plug-in-hybrid/119002>\
**Category:** General Discussion\
**Created:** [June 10, 2018, 3:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-use-a-fuel-preservative-for-a-plug-in-hybrid/119002 "2018-06-10T15:38:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![AnthonyColwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AnthonyColwell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/AnthonyColwell)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 3:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-use-a-fuel-preservative-for-a-plug-in-hybrid/119002/1 "2018-06-10T15:38:39Z")

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A plug-in hybrid uses little gas if only used for short trips.  
Should a fuel preservative or treatment be used, what should I look for?

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**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 4:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-use-a-fuel-preservative-for-a-plug-in-hybrid/119002/2 "2018-06-10T16:05:59Z")

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I would THINK Sta-Bil, but would check with your dealership for their recommendations.

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**Author:** ![GorehamJ](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/gorehamj/32/24103_2.png) [@GorehamJ](https://community.cartalk.com/u/GorehamJ)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 2:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-use-a-fuel-preservative-for-a-plug-in-hybrid/119002/3 "2018-06-11T14:19:27Z")

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That’s a great question Anthony, and one I didn’t know the answer to until recently. A prior post here by Sisyphus1 asked a similar question on that subject. I did some research, going so far as to speak directly to the leading manufacturers of PHEVs and found out the answer is “no.” [Here is the story published at a CarTalk partner site.](http://bestride.com/news/technology/plug-in-hybrids-and-range-extended-evs-need-to-keep-your-fuel-fresh-heres-how-they-do-it)

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**Author:** ![BillRussell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/billrussell/32/3179_2.png) [@BillRussell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BillRussell)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 3:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-use-a-fuel-preservative-for-a-plug-in-hybrid/119002/4 "2018-06-11T15:32:40Z")

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@GorehamJ: very good article. Learned something new today! But it illustrates how complicated a modern gas engine is.