My Experience with E85 Stations USA
I’m giving this app 3 out of 5 stars. The main reason is that it gets you in the ballpark, but you can’t fully trust it. My truck runs on E85 and my new job has me driving all over the county for site visits. Last Tuesday, I had three appointments back-to-back and knew I’d need fuel. I opened the app near lunchtime and it showed a station just off my route with a decent price. I drove ten minutes out of my way only to find the E85 pump had been removed months ago. The regular gas pumps were there, but the flex-fuel handle was gone. That wasted half an hour of my workday and a bunch of gas. For a free app, it’s a useful starting point, but it almost cost me more than it saved.
Features Worth Noting
What works is pretty straightforward. The map loads fast on my iPhone 14 and drops pins for every listed station. I like that you can sort by price. When I’m planning my route for the next day, I’ll scroll through and see which station along my path is cheapest. The route planner is a solid idea, too. I plugged in a 90-mile trip to a supplier and it mapped out two possible stops. Being able to submit updates is good in theory. After my bad experience, I reported that the station was wrong. That’s a feature I always look for in free apps—if we’re not paying, we should help keep it accurate.
What Needs Work
The data is the biggest issue. It feels like a ghost town sometimes. You see a station listed, but there’s no recent check-in or price update. I don’t know if the price is from today or three weeks ago. The app itself looks a bit old, like it hasn’t had a visual update in years. It’s functional, but not polished. I also wish there was a way to see which stations are confirmed by more users. Right now, every pin looks the same, so you have no idea if you’re heading to a reliable spot or a wild guess someone added in 2021.
Pricing
It’s free, which is exactly what I wanted. I never pay for an app before I know it works. There are small banner ads at the bottom, but they don’t pop up or play videos, so I can ignore them. For the value it provides—a decent first look at where E85 might be—the price is right. I’d be pretty annoyed if I had paid for this, but as a free tool, my expectations are lower. If they ever added a paid tier with verified data, I’d consider it, but only if the free version stuck around.
Developer Notes
I had one question about how station submissions work, so I used the contact form in the app. I didn’t hear back for two full days, which had me thinking it was just a black hole. But then I got a real reply from a person named Mark. He explained the review process and thanked me for the update. It wasn’t instant, but it was helpful. I see the app has gotten a few updates in the store, mostly for bug fixes. They’re not adding flashy new stuff every week, which is fine by me. I’d rather they focus on making the station info more reliable.
Security & Privacy
I checked the App Store page before downloading. It doesn’t ask for much. It needs location, obviously, to show you nearby stations. I only allowed location access while using the app. I didn’t have to create an account or give an email to use the basic features, which I always appreciate. It feels like a simple tool that isn’t trying to collect a bunch of my data, and that’s a plus in my book.
Can I sort E85 stations by price in the app?
Yes, the app lets you sort listed stations by price, which is handy when you're planning a route and want the cheapest option. Just open the map, and you can scroll through the pins to compare prices along your path.
Does the app have a route planner for finding E85 stations?
It does include a route planner feature. You can enter a trip distance, and the app will suggest possible E85 stops along the way, which helps you avoid running out of fuel on longer drives.
Why did the app send me to a station that no longer has E85?
The app relies on user-submitted data, and some stations may be outdated or removed without notice. If you find a station that's wrong, you can report it through the app's submission feature to help keep the info current.
How can I tell if an E85 station's price or availability is recent?
The app doesn't show check-in dates or user confirmation counts, so you can't easily tell if a listing is fresh. It's best to treat the data as a starting point and call ahead or check recent reviews if you're unsure.
How does E85 Stations USA compare to other flex-fuel finder apps?
Unlike some competitors that require a subscription for detailed data, this app is completely free with only small banner ads. However, its station info can be less reliable and visually dated, while paid apps often offer verified listings and more frequent updates.
