In this paper, catalyst compositions and preparation methods of Ni-Me/Ce0.9Gd0.1O2-x (Me: Rh, Pt and Ru) are investigated for diesel pre-reforming. Ni loading is optimized with respect to catalytic activity and coke formation. Incipient wetness method and glycine nitrate process are compared for catalyst preparation. Rh, Pt and Ru are added to improve the catalytic stability. Micro-reactor test, temperature programmed oxidation and temperature programmed reduction are used to compare catalysts. The optimized composition of Ni-Me/Ce0.9Gd0.1O2-x is 19.5 wt.% Ni and 0.5 wt.% Ru on Ce0.9Gd0.1O2-x. Higher than 20 wt.% of Ni loading is limited by the coke formation. Ru helps coke oxidation at low temperature. Glycine nitrate process is superior to the incipient wetness method with respect to the catalysts stability. 2000 h of pre-reforming operation is carried out using the optimized catalyst. 70.6 mol% H-2 and 4.7 mol% CH4 are produced in a stable manner. Copyright (C) 2015, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.