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Argentina: Here You Can Find Ultra-Low-Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) when Overlanding

All overlanders traveling in South America with modern diesel engines that have an exhaust after-treatment system (SCR, DPF) and need to fill up with AdBlue/DEF need to be concerned about the level of sulfur in Diesel.

Valentin Despa
Travelling with Valentine
8 min readDec 21, 2022

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Latest update: March 2024

The “official” UN Environment Programme (UNEP) version

If you are looking at the map published by the UNEP [1], which shows the global Diesel fuel sulfur levels, the situation for Argentina does not look good at all, with an indicated level of sulfur between 500 and 2000 ppm.

At first, this may look very disappointing and discouraging, as even 500 ppm is still a lot for modern Diesel engines.

For reference, the sulfur content in North America and Europe is between 10 and 15 ppm.

The reality of finding ULSD in Argentina

But the map from UNEP is misleading. In reality, Argentina has different qualities for its diesel fuel. According to DieselNet.com [3] there are three grades of diesel in Argentina:

  • AGRODIESEL or GASOIL AGRO
  • GASOIL COMUN
  • GASOIL ULTRA

GASOIL ULTRA is the only diesel fuel that is high quality with a sulfur content of 10 ppm. This also called “Gasoil Grado 3”.

The good news is that the quality of the diesel available has dramatically improved in the past years.

Now in 2024 traveling through Argentina with a modern Diesel engine (Euro 5, Euro 6) is no longer an issue.

Which gas stations have ULSD in Argentina?

Let’s get a bit more concrete and which major fuel distributors offer ULSD at their pumps and what is the commercial name of their product.

Generally, you can expect to find Ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) at the following gas stations:

  • YPF
  • AXION energy
  • Shell
  • Puma Energy
  • Gulf Oil

Disclaimer: While I did my best to ensure the information presented was accurate, errors are still possible. Use this article to get a general idea about the USLD availability in Argentina but do your own research. The information provided on this site is for general informational purposes only.Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. In no event will the author of this article be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this site.

Biodiesel content in Diesel

Regardless of the grade, Diesel in Argentina contains by law 7.5% biodiesel.

YPF

YPF (Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales) is a state-owned Argentine energy company and is one of the largest oil and gas companies in Argentina.

YPF offers diesel in the following qualities [16]:

  • Diesel 500, a grade 2 diesel with up to 500 ppm sulfur content. [15]
  • UltraDiesel, a grade 2 diesel with up to 800 ppm sulfur content. [14] You will rarely encounter this option at gas stations.
  • Infinia Diesel, a grade 3 diesel with low sulfur content (less than 10 ppm). [13]

While all this information might sound confusing, don’t worry: it is hard to confuse them at the pump. The diesel grade and the sulfur content are clearly displayed.

To locate the gas stations, you can use the official YPF energy website [17] and consult the map with all gas stations across Argentina.

YPF has been our main choice for refueling in Argentina. Most gas stations are very modern, have free & clean toilets, water taps, hot water for mate, and some even offer free showers (if you purchase fuel).

AXION energy

According to an article published by CarsMagazine.com.ar in 2021 [4], Axion energy offers diesel of less than 10 ppm sulfur at all its service stations throughout Argentina.

AXION energy offers diesel in two qualities (both 10 ppm) [5]:

  • AXION energy Diesel X10, which replaced an older Diesel quality with 500 ppm sulfur.
  • Quantium Diesel X10, which is the premium offering.

Apparently, AXION energy is the only nationwide company that sells only ULSD.

To locate the gas stations, you can use the official AXION energy website [6] and consult the map with all gas stations across Argentina.

You can click on any station to find opening times and the types of fuel offered.

Shell

Shell requires no introduction as a brand. Shell also offers diesel in two qualities:

  • Shell Evolux Diesel with 500 ppm sulfur content [7]
  • Shell V Power Diesel with 10 ppm sulfur content [8]

At a gas station, distinguishing between the two diesel qualities is not that easy, as the pump may not have an indication of the sulfur content. This is what a pump might look like:

So it is important to know which one is which.

You can use the official Shell website to consult the map with all the gas stations [9]:

You can click on any gas station on the map to find the opening times and the type of fuel available.

Puma Energy

Puma Energy operates a network of fuel storage and distribution facilities, as well as about 400 retail gas stations.

Puma Energy offers diesel in two qualities [19]:

  • Puma Diesel, grade 2 diesel with varying degrees of sulfur content depending on the location.
  • ION Puma Diesel, grade 3 diesel with 10 ppm maximum quantity of sulfur.

You can consult the official Puma Energy website for Argentina to find gas stations. [20]

You can click on any gas station on the map to find the opening times and the type of fuel available.

Gulf Oil

Gulf Oil is a brand of the Chevron Corporation and is present in various countries on the American continent. However, they have a small network of about 80 stations with the target of growing them to 120 by the end of 2022. [12] [18]

Gulf Oil is also present in Argentina and offers diesel of different qualities [10]:

  • Gulf Diesel 500, which is a grade 2 diesel for Euro II & III engines with a 500 ppm sulfur content.
  • Gulf Diesel 800, which is another grade 2 diesel for Euro II & III engines with maximum 800 ppm sulfur content.
  • Gulf Premium Diesel, a grade 3 diesel with a maximum of 10 ppm sulfur content.

Gulf makes everyone’s life a bit easier by clearly writing on the pump the diesel grade (in this case, 3) and the sulfur content.

You can consult the official Gulf Oil website for Latam to find gas stations. [11]

Unfortunately, you can’t see the types of diesel available at the individual stations.

AdBlue/DEF in Argentina

Finding AdBlue/DEF in Argentina is unproblematic. Since trucks also need AdBlue/DEF, you will find it at most YPF gas stations (and others as well). DEF is sold under the name AZUL 32.

According to the specification on the back, the DEF sold by YPF follows the ISO 22241–1 standard and is API-certified (American Petroleum Institute). It also has the AdBlue logo on the front.

Conclusion

I hope this article helped you understand the quality of diesel available in Argentina. Leave a comment in the section below if you have any questions. I would love to hear from you!

If you want to do more research on your own, I’ve linked below all my sources of information. Also, let me know if I have missed any important gas stations.

Thank you for sticking with this article until the end. If you enjoyed it, please leave a comment, share, and press that 👏 a few times (up to 50 times). It will help others discover this information, and maybe it will help someone else as well.

References

Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel
Usld
Argentina
Ypf
Axion

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Valentin Despa
Travelling with Valentine

Written by Valentin Despa

2.2K Followers
Editor for

Software developer, educator & overlander • GitLab Hero • AWS Community Builder • Postman Supernova • Imprint: http://vdespa.com/imprint

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