Conoco brand history and ownership
Conoco's roots go back to 1875 with the founding of the Continental Oil and Transportation Company in Ogden, Utah. After a series of mergers and corporate restructurings, the brand became part of ConocoPhillips in 2002 (when Phillips Petroleum merged with Conoco). In 2012, ConocoPhillips spun off its downstream refining and marketing business into Phillips 66 Company, which retained the Conoco retail gasoline brand. Today, Conoco is one of three retail brands operated by Phillips 66 (alongside the Phillips 66 brand and 76).
How Conoco fuel pricing works
Conoco-branded stations are independently owned and operated, with Phillips 66 Company supplying the fuel and licensing the Conoco brand. Pricing at each station reflects the local wholesale rack price, state and local taxes, and competitive positioning. Conoco corporate does not set retail prices directly. The Conoco brand network is concentrated in the Midwest, Mountain West, and Southwest, with growing presence in the Northeast and upper Midwest through brand-licensing expansion that began in 2024.
Top Tier status and PROclean additive
Conoco gasoline is marketed under the PROclean brand, which has been on the Top Tier Detergent Gasoline brands list since October 2004. Top Tier is a fuel-quality standard endorsed by major automakers (BMW, GM, Toyota, Honda, Ford, Audi, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and others) requiring detergent additive levels above EPA minimums. The PROclean package is identical across Conoco, Phillips 66, and 76 brand stations, so fuel quality is consistent regardless of which of the three sister brands a driver fills up at.
Conoco vs Phillips 66 and 76
All three brands are owned by Phillips 66 Company and use the same PROclean Top Tier fuel. They differ primarily by geography and heritage. The Phillips 66 brand anchors the Midwest and Mountain West. 76 anchors the West Coast and California. Conoco anchors the Midwest, Mountain West, and Southwest, and serves as the primary brand for Phillips 66's recent eastern expansion. From a driver's perspective, the brand seen on the sign matters less than knowing all three networks share the same fuel-quality standard and the same parent company.