GaadiWaadi –
Besides significant losses in real-world mileage due to E20 fuel, several vehicles reported unusual levels of wear and tear, stated the LocalCircles survey
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, in collaboration with The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, officially mandated the use of E20 fuel from April 1, 2026 in the country. Though it was sold at several petrol pumps from as early as 2025. Now, according to a report by LocalCircles, around half of the petrol models purchased in 2022 or before have experienced a drop in mileage after using the E20 fuel, which has 20 percent ethanol content. The report further confirmed that one in two petrol vehicle owners stated that the fuel efficiency of their vehicle, which was purchased in 2022 or prior, has significantly reduced in the last few months.
In fact, nearly 29 percent of petrol vehicle owners came on record to state that the usage of E20 fuel has caused unusual levels of wear and tear with respect to the engine, fuel line, tank and carburettor among many other components. All these people had a vehicle purchased in 2022 or before. LocalCircles survey covered 50,000 respondents with ownership of a petrol vehicle purchased in 2022 or before across 301 districts of India.
In Aug 2025, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas had issued a detailed response to such concerns raised on the impact of 20 percent Ethanol Blended Petrol (E-20) on mileage and vehicle life. It had said that apart from reducing pollution, the ethanol-blended fuel offers better acceleration and ride quality while most importantly, lowered carbon emissions by approximately 30 percent as compared to E10 fuel.
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The Ministry outrightly dismisses the claims of lower mileage and higher wear and tear by stating that “Vehicle mileage is influenced by a variety of factors beyond just fuel type. These include driving habits, maintenance practices such as oil changes and air filter cleanliness, tyre pressure and alignment, and even air conditioning load.”
The Ministry further added that, “In most parameters including drivability, startability, metal compatibility, plastic compatibility, there are no issues. Only in case of certain older vehicles, some rubber parts and gaskets may require replacement earlier than in case non blended fuel was used.” In fact, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari went on to claim that, “You show me one vehicle anywhere in the world which had problems because of E20 petrol!”
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However, on the other hand, the LocalCircles survey tells a different story altogether as several vehicle owners claim that real-world mileage losses are much higher in vehicles purchased in 2022 or before as compared to official estimates of fuel efficiency drop of 1-6 percent. The 45 percent of people participating in the survey belonged to tier 1 cities while 29 percent were from tier 2, followed by the remaining 26 percent who were from tier 3, 4 & 5 regions.
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