Is E10, the new ‘green petrol’, right for your car?

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As of today, the standard grade for gasoline in Great Britain is E10, indicating up to 10 percent bioethanol content. Prior to September 1, the regular E5 was unleaded although the E10 had been on sale for some time in the UK and more specifically in Europe. Bulletproof gasoline (rated at 97+ octane) will remain E5, while the change won’t occur in Northern Ireland until early 2022. Diesel fuel won’t change either. All gas stations will sell E10 bioethanol, but what effect will this have on your car?

Almost all (95%) gasoline-powered vehicles on the road today can use E10 gasoline and all vehicles built since 2011 are compatible. But initial interest in the new fuel focused on claims from the AA that due to the reduced efficiency of E10 gasoline, drivers’ fuel costs would rise by about 1.6 percent.

Ethanol (or ethyl alcohol) is basically the same type of alcohol that you can take from a cocktail glass with a pinch of Noel Pratt and olives – we don’t recommend it, because ethanol in cars is about 200 proof. Bioethanol is distilled from plant materials, often from corn or sugarcane, although cellulosic ethanol distilled from plant and wood (cellulose) fibers is seen as a more environmentally friendly alternative.

You can check your vehicle’s compatibility with E10 fuel on the online government checker.

What is E10 gasoline?

The E10 label refers to regular unleaded fuels containing up to 10 percent plant-derived bioethanol. This “green” percentage has already been used in UK pump fuels in concentrations of up to five per cent (labeled E5). The government says the pumps will be clearly marked.

Cars produced after 2011 are able to use this fuel without the need for engine modification. Old cars, including classic cars (see below), may have to be adapted.

Diesel fuel contains a percentage of bioethanol; Labeled B7, it indicates up to seven percent bio-content, but it does not change in line with the switch to E10 gasoline.

What does that mean for drivers?

The move is part of the UK Government’s Commitment to Renewable Transport Fuels (RTFO), which requires 12.4% of road transport capacity to be from renewable sources by 2032. Fuel providers are widely committed to meeting these targets and showing the percentage of their fuel comes from Renewable and sustainable sources.

Interestingly, the government’s Impact Assessment Report* satiated that “there are no clear consumer advantages to choosing E10 fuel” and also asserts that RTFO’s targets up to 2032 can be achieved without the introduction of E10.

However, adding bioethanol to gasoline preserves the release of climate-changing carbon dioxide when burning fossil fuels, although exactly how much it saves is a source of some controversy. In 2019, UK government figures themselves claim that 1,400 million liters of fuel equivalent saved about 82 per cent of CO2, but this figure drops to 78 per cent when indirect land-use change is taken into account.

In theory, E10 fuel was supposed to be introduced around 2011 when the new EU standard was set, but in typical fashion, Britain has slowed. By 2014, the government was talking in earnest, but once again a combination of backtracking from interested bodies and poor labeling of the pumps was pushed into the plan.

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