Costco Fun Fact: Gasoline & Car Wash
Costco sold over $14 BILLION worth of gas in 2020! But did you know about Costco’s other little known gas station bargain?
In addition to Costco’s TOP TIER™ gasoline*, sold at over 650 stations worldwide, some locations ALSO have… CAR WASHES! What??? I know, we were surprised to learn this as well, having never seen one at any Costco we’ve ever been to (and we’ve been to over 40!).
Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who live near a Costco Car Wash so this is yesterday’s news for you, but color us shocked – and extremely envious.
See a list of the 14 lucky locations with car washes below.
Here are some more fun facts and tidbits about Costco gas and their car washes…
- Membership (or a Costco Shop card purchased by a member) is required to purchase gas
- Costco gas is typically $0.20 – $0.70 less per gallon than the competition depending on where you live and station locations
- Gasoline sales account for 9% of Costco’s total annual revenue
- Kirkland Signature™ Gasoline contains five times the EPA detergent requirement in both regular unleaded and premium grades
- Extra-long pump hoses at Costco gas stations mean you can fuel up from EITHER side of your car
- The first Costco car wash opened in 2006 in Seattle
- Costco car washes utilize no more than 40 gallons of water – which is recycled or returned to the environment cleanly
- The price of a Costco car wash hasn’t changed in 10 years: just $7.99
- Costco car washes do not include towel dry services nor do they have vacuums
*It’s a common misconception that Costco gas is of inferior quality. In fact, the exact opposite is true. Kirkland Signature gasoline has been certified as “TOP TIER™”. This is the fuel industry gold standard for gasoline quality. It has been endorsed by members of numerous car clubs, including those for Porsche, Ferrari, and other highline cars. If it’s good enough for a Porsche, it’s good enough for a Pontiac.
Bonus Fact about Gasoline in general (not just Costco):
Almost all “raw” gasoline to be delivered to gas stations today comes from the same cross-country common carrier pipelines! Every refinery (Shell, Chevron, BP, etc.) adds and removes gasoline from the same pipeline – just in different places.
So how do they keep their fuels separate?
Ummm… they don’t.
So, even if you fill up at Chevron (or Costco) it is very possible that gas was actually refined and put into the pipeline by a Shell refinery… or vice versa.
The only difference is the unique additive packages that each brand adds to the gas before delivery to the gas station.
FYI, Costco actually adds their additives on site at each gas station.
The More You Know™…
Costco Car Wash Locations:
- Arizona: Glendale & Scottsdale
- California: Lancaster, Norwalk, Oxnard, Poway, San Juan Capistrano, Torrance, & Victorville (+ Turlock coming soon)
- Idaho: Boise
- Tennessee: Brentwood & Murfreesboro
- Washington: Bellingham & Seattle
Costco Car Wash Price: $7.99
Every car wash includes:
- Exterior Wash and Wax
- Tire Shine and Wheel Cleaner
- Undercarriage Wash with Rust Inhibitor
- Spot Free Rinse
- Envirosoft Foam Brushes
- Ceramic Protective Coating
These fun facts are inspired by the new book “The Joy of Costco – A Treasure Hunt from A to Z” by David & Susan Schwartz. This is such an awesome book and obviously a lot of time, care, and research went into making it.
Pick a few up on Amazon (or you may also find it at your local Costco) and give them as Holiday gifts to the Costco lovers in your life.
