As of 2024, Mexico has still not fully transitioned to Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD), as this step has been postponed several times.
It is important to mention that you will not encounter the term USLD at gas stations in Mexico. Most gas stations/pumps give no information whatsoever about the sulfur content. The only information given is the cetane rating which is 45 throughout Mexico. Also, the websites of major gas stations don’t provide this information either.
In Mexico, Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) is known as Ultra Bajo Azufre Diésel, UBA Diésel or Diésel de Ultra Bajo Azufre (DUBA).
Asking attendants about the sulfur content or ULSD will rarely bring anything useful to the conversation.
It is worth noting that Mexico uses liters, not gallons!
So it is a bit hard to plan in advance. In most cases, you will need to go to the pump to see if there is any information listed there.
Baja California
Baja California is the gateway to Mexico for many overlanders and the first encounter with Mexican gas stations.
Just a bit of geography: Baja California is composed of two states: Baja California (sometimes called Baja Norte) and Baja California Sur.
Baja Norte has many more US or international gas stations such as Chevron, BP, and ARCO. However, none of the gas stations I’ve visited advertise their diesel as ULSD (worth mentioning I did not stop at many gas stations close to the border — so feel free to comment below if you know more).
The information that is circulating around in the overlanding community is that international gas stations located in Baja Norte import their diesel from the US, so it is ULSD.
Click here to read the complete, original article on Medium
Source: Medium
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