New Delhi: Automobile and energy-sector experts have defended India’s E20 ethanol-blended petrol programme, saying the fuel was introduced only after extensive scientific testing, including trials involving older vehicles. Maruti Suzuki also reported finding no E20-related corrosion, component damage or unusual wear in more than 1.5 crore older cars serviced during the 2025-26 financial year.
The assurance came at a press conference organised in New Delhi by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the Ministry of Heavy Industries, and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
Industry representatives described ethanol blending as a measured, step-by-step programme rather than an overnight transition, and said motorists had no reason for concern over the use of E20 petrol.
The briefing was addressed by Ms. Vartika Shukla, Former Chairman and Managing Director, Engineers India Limited; Vikram Gulati, Country Head & Executive Vice President, Toyota Kirloskar Motor; Rahul Bharti, Senior Executive Officer, Corporate Affairs, Maruti Suzuki; Ashutosh Varma, Chief Business Officer, Hero MotoCorp; Prasad Krishnan, Senior Vice President, TVS Motor Company; Puneet Anand, Associate Vice President, Hyundai Motor India; and Manpreet Singh Bindra, Circle Head – Sales (North & East), Urbanite Business, Bajaj Auto Limited.
E20 introduced after testing on older vehicles
Vikram Gulati said the automobile industry was among the most tightly regulated sectors, with vehicles undergoing extensive testing and certification by independent and internationally accredited agencies before and after their market introduction.
He described ethanol as a clean, high-performance fuel that has been used since the early 1900s, including in Formula racing. According to Gulati, the decision to introduce petrol containing 20 per cent ethanol was taken only after older vehicles had been subjected to rigorous testing.
He also clarified that recently launched E85 dispensing stations were intended exclusively for flex-fuel vehicles and represented the likely direction of future fuel policy.
Responding to questions about the independence of vehicle-testing agencies, Gulati said testing protocols were not determined by India alone.
India is a party to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, or UNECE, and vehicle-testing procedures are internationally standardised, he said. The agencies conducting such tests are accredited, comply with global requirements and also certify vehicles manufactured for export.
He added that these protocols could not be compromised.
Maruti issues ‘statement of confidence’
Rahul Bharti offered what he described as a “statement of confidence” to customers, saying vehicles originally designed for E10 petrol had been tested with E20 fuel across all relevant parameters without revealing any area of concern.
Maruti Suzuki serviced 2.84 crore cars during FY 2025-26, according to Bharti. Of these, more than 1.5 crore vehicles were over three years old and, therefore, not certified specifically for E20.
Despite the large number of older vehicles examined, the company received no field reports linking E20 fuel to corrosion, excessive wear and tear, damage or a reduction in component life, he said.
Bharti also said vehicles were engineered with safety margins extending beyond basic E20-compliance requirements.
No retrofitment kit for converting older vehicles was currently being offered in the market, he clarified, adding that such solutions remained confined to research and development.
Mileage impact estimated at 3% to 3.5%
Addressing concerns over fuel economy, Bharti said E20’s calorific value was approximately 3 to 3.5 per cent lower than that of E10 petrol, limiting the expected mileage reduction to roughly the same range.
For a vehicle ordinarily returning 20 kilometres per litre, he said, the difference would be about 0.6 kilometres per litre.
Factors such as tyre pressure, driving style, gear selection, acceleration, braking and maintenance could produce much larger variations in real-world fuel efficiency, he added. In other words, the driver’s right foot may still influence the fuel bill more than the ethanol percentage printed at the pump.
Bharti said the modest decline in mileage was offset by improved acceleration, better resistance to engine knocking and substantially lower pollution compared with pure petrol.
E20 complies with BIS and BS-VI standards
Ms. Vartika Shukla said the ethanol-blending programme had been developed after consultations with stakeholders and was supported by scientific evidence and extensive testing by automobile manufacturers.
She said the programme followed global best practices and noted that ethanol-blended fuels had been used in several countries for many years.
According to Shukla, E20 petrol complies with Bureau of Indian Standards specifications and Bharat Stage VI emission norms. She also said the fuel was being supplied uniformly through retail outlets across the country.
Two-wheeler data shows no higher damage, Hero MotoCorp says
Ashutosh Varma said Hero MotoCorp had examined extensive service data from its vehicles and found no evidence of higher damage among two-wheelers operated with E20 petrol compared with those using earlier fuel blends.
The panel concluded by reaffirming the automobile industry’s confidence in the E20 programme and promising to address consumer questions transparently.
The statements are intended to ease concerns among owners of older cars and two-wheelers as India expands ethanol blending. The programme’s broader acceptance, however, will depend not only on laboratory certification but also on continued disclosure of real-world service data—because for motorists, reassurance carries the most weight when it comes with evidence from the workshop.
