E10 vs E20 vs E85: Different ethanol blends explained and what they mean for your vehicle
From E10 to E20 and now E85, here’s what each fuel blend means and the kind of vehicles they are suitable for.
India’s fuel now includes E10, E20 and E85 blends.
E10 was standard; E20 is the new standard petrol.
E85 is exclusively for flex-fuel vehicles.
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India’s fuel landscape has changed significantly over the past few years as the government has steadily increased the amount of ethanol blended with petrol. After E10 fuel was adopted nationwide, E20 was rolled out in phases from 2023, while E85 is now being introduced for a limited number of flex-fuel vehicles.
But what exactly do these fuel blends mean, and can every petrol car use them? Here’s a simple explainer.
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E10: Suitable for almost every petrol vehicle
E10 contains 10% ethanol and 90% petrol. It became the standard petrol grade across India in 2022 and is compatible with virtually all modern petrol-powered vehicles sold in the country.
Whether you own a Maruti Suzuki Swift, Hyundai Creta, Tata Nexon, Mahindra Scorpio-N, Honda City or Toyota Innova Hycross, E10 fuel poses no compatibility issues. Most manufacturers had already engineered their engines and fuel systems to run on E10 well before it became widely available.