A Nissan SUV Ran on Used Frying Oil and Nearly Matched DieselAutoblogRex SanchezSun, September 27, 2026 at 3:15 PM UTCAdd us on GoogleAutoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.A Crude SituationAAA recorded its highest-ever national average diesel price at $6.5276 a gallon on September 22, 2026. The skyrocketing prices not only affect motorists, but also farmers who rely heavily on diesel-powered equipment and work vehicles. This has resulted in higher interest in alternatives such as electric vehicles, but apparently, there's an even cheaper alternative that's closer to home.Garage 54, a Russian automotive workshop that conducts extreme experiments like turning a Subaru boxer engine into an inline-four, showed what would happen if cooking oil is used to run a diesel powertrain. It may sound like a crazy idea, but given that average diesel prices in states like California, Washington, and Hawaii are over $7 a gallon, the alternative was worth a shot. The shop carried out the test on an old-school Nissan Terrano, also known as the Pathfinder in the U.S.Fry Now, Drive LaterBased on the initial run, the sunflower oil-fed Terrano ran quite well, with the presenter saying the SUV didn't make much rumbling noise. Because the vehicle was consuming a lot of oil, he decided to opt for an even cheaper option: used cooking oil that had deep-fried French fries and chicken. Online listings showed that a liter of used sunflower oil cost 25 to 35 Russian rubles, or about $1.12 to $1.57 per gallon at current exchange rates.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe following day, the engine struggled to start because the oil had thickened in the cold temperature. After the glow plugs were manually engaged to heat the system, the Terrano was back on the road for more testing between diesel and used cooking oil.The first test was a zero-to-80-km/h (zero-to-49.7-mph) sprint, in which the diesel-fed powertrain was only about 0.3 seconds faster than the alternative at 24.08 seconds. The next test compared efficiency using one liter of each fuel, and again, the results were similar. The Terrano traveled 10.7 km (6.6 miles) on diesel, only 0.7 km (0.43 miles) farther than it did on used cooking oil.Garage 54/YouTubeHold the FriesBefore switching to cooking oil, it is worth noting that this isn't recommended for modern common-rail diesel engines, such as modern Ford Power Stroke and Chevrolet Duramax applications. Because cooking oil is much more viscous than diesel, it is better suited to older mechanical injection systems, which can be more tolerant than common-rail systems that use extremely high fuel pressures and precisely controlled injectors.Running on straight used cooking oil can also put extra strain on the fuel pump and injectors and contribute to carbon buildup over time. But considering current fuel prices amid the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, the idea may not sound quite as crazy.Garage 54/YouTubeThis story was originally published by Autoblog on Sep 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
