Abstract A knock intensity mitigation effect resulting from the application of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) was experimentally demonstrated. The DBD was utilized to reform fuel–air premixtures. A rapid compression and expansion machine (RCEM) was used for the demonstration experiment. A rectangular combustion channel was installed in the RCEM's cylinder to observe flame propagation and end-gas auto-ignition behavior. The effect of the DBD was investigated by installing a plug-shaped DBD reactor in the combustion chamber. Part of the fuel-air mixture was reformed by the DBD and diffused in the chamber, and the combustion behavior was observed by a color and a monochrome high-speed camera with several different interference filters. In ordinary end-gas auto-ignition, a hot flame rapidly appears throughout the end-gas region, and generates strong pressure oscillation; whereas, in the present study, when the DBD was applied, the magnitude of the pressure oscillation decreased and a blue flame was generated in the end gas before full end-gas auto-ignition. The onset time of the blue flame, and the interval between the onset and the hot flame's appearance, depended on the fuel and initial temperature. The effect was investigated in the case of a primary reference fuel, surrogate gasoline, and n-butane lean mixture; however, though the magnitude of the effect varied, the mitigation effect was demonstrated for every fuel-air mixture. The proposed method is therefore expected to mitigate knocking in internal combustion engines and contribute to greater thermal efficiency.