US drivers avoid premium gasoline to cut costs.

As gasoline prices reach record highs, U.S. drivers are shunning premium grades when filling up their cars, unwilling to pay as much as 20 cents more per gallon for the higher octane. As the price of crude oil flirts with $80 a barrel, the price of gasoline is rising accordingly. For the week ended July 10, a gallon of conventional gasoline averaged $2.973 - about 7 cents higher than last year. Conventional premium was $3.09 a gallon. "Sales of premium and mid-grade have declined over the past few years as consumers trade down octane levels when prices increase," said Jeff Lenard, a spokesman for National Association of Convenience Stores, an industry group representing convenience stores where three out of every four gallons of gasoline is sold.