E20 superior, demand for pure petrol and E10 choice ‘ignores realities’: Centre

E20 petrol is “cleaner and superior” than fuel variants that do not have ethanol blended in them, the Union government said on Friday. The statement came in the wake of vehicle owners complaining that the fuel mix was reducing mileage and damaging cars.

The E20 variant of petrol, which has 20% ethanol, is a “safe, cleaner, proven and scientifically validated fuel that Indian consumers can use with confidence”, said the Ministry of Petroleum.

Its quality, safety and compatibility had been validated by automobile manufacturers, testing and homologation agencies, oil marketing companies, and regulatory authorities, the ministry added.

The Ethanol Blended Petrol programme currently mandates the sale of petrol blended with 20% ethanol. India hit its target of reaching a 20% ethanol mix in petrol in July 2025, five years ahead of schedule.

The blending of ethanol with petrol is part of India’s broader energy transition strategy aimed at reducing dependency on fossil fuels, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and boosting income for sugarcane farmers.

Fuel choice demand ‘ignores realities’, says Centre

On Friday, the government also said that the suggestion that petrol not blended with ethanol and E10 should be available at fuel stations alongside E20 “ignores the realities” of India’s fuel distribution network.

There are more than one lakh petrol pumps, besides a network of refineries, terminals, depots and pipelines, said the ministry.

“Maintaining multiple grades of base petrol across this vast supply chain would create an enormous logistical challenge, increase handling costs, complicate inventory management and reduce operational efficiency,” it added.

The Centre also said that while premium fuels are often cited as an example of simultaneous sale, they are “niche products sold in limited quantities” and “not separate nationwide base fuel streams”.

“It is true” that fuel economy in some vehicles may be reduced by 3% to 5%, said the government, adding that “mileage is only one parameter”.

It said that automobile maker Maruti Suzuki had serviced 2.8 crore vehicles in the financial year 2025-’26 that included 1.5 crore older non-E20-certified vehicles. The company reported no E20-linked corrosion, abnormal wear or component-life damage, the ministry claimed.

“This real-world evidence is far more reliable than isolated anecdotes,” it added.

The statement came soon after Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari told The Indian Express that while the average mileage of vehicles may have marginally reduced because of blending petrol with ethanol, the claims made online about damage to cars are “overblown” and part of a “false narrative”.

Consumer complaints

Consumers have complained that the new fuel mix damages engines and reduces their mileage.

An opinion poll by LocalCircles published on Sunday showed that 53% of the surveyed petrol vehicle owners said that they believe that the government’s handling of the E20 rollout was “disastrous” or “ineffective”.

Sixty-six percent of the respondents said that they were experiencing a more than 10% drop in mileage with E20. Forty-five percent of the surveyed users said that their cars had suffered a moderate to major increase in wear and tear, or needed repairs, according to the polling conducted in June.

A report in October, which analysed government and industry data, said that only about 20% of new petrol vehicles sold in India in the last 15 years were compliant with the E20 fuel blend.

On December 11, Gadkari told Parliament that the government had tested older vehicles running on E20 fuel and found no case of engine failure. The vehicles covered almost 1 lakh km in the tests conducted by the automotive research association, the minister said.

Gadkari had added at the time that the research association had observed “no impact” of E20 fuel on the vehicles’ performance, startability, driveability and metal capability.

Written by Nachiket Deuskar. Edited by Sneha.