‘No pressure on automakers to hide any fact’: Centre clears air amid E20 backlash
India achieved 20% ethanol blending in petrol five years ahead of schedule.
There is no pressure from the government on vehicle manufacturers to support E20 petrol or to hide any facts about the fuel, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) said Thursday, rejecting certain claims doing the rounds on social media. Amid the public backlash over E20 fuel — 80 parts petrol and 20 parts ethanol — the ministry also rejected claims that automakers have privately indicated that E20 is not desirable.
India achieved 20% ethanol blending in petrol last year and E20 is the standard petrol variant available across the country. There has been a public backlash over the E20 fuel, with claims ranging from a notable reduction in mileage to engine component wear and tear in older vehicles whose engines were not designed for higher ethanol blends.
On its part, the government has been attempting to allay fears, saying that the drop in mileage in older vehicles would be 3-5% at most, and would be outweighed by the benefits like higher octane rating, superior anti-knock characteristics, faster combustion, better pickup, smoother acceleration and cleaner engine operation. The government has also consistently rejected claims that E20 fuel could damage engine components, saying that the extensive testing and field validation was done before E20 petrol was rolled out.
“Had automobile manufacturers not been satisfied with the scientific validation, they would neither have certified E20-compatible vehicles, nor continued to honour warranty obligations. Manufacturers continue to honour warranties for vehicles operating on specification-compliant E20 fuel because they have confidence in the extensive testing that preceded the rollout,” the MoPNG said.
“India’s automobile manufacturers are independent listed companies with legal and regulatory obligations to their customers. They cannot conceal widespread vehicle defects without exposing themselves to warranty claims, product liability, regulatory action and serious reputational damage,” it added.
According to the government, vehicle manufacturers wouldn’t have honoured vehicle warranties after E20 rollout had they believed that the fuel was fading systemic engine damage. Warranty decisions are based on engineering validation and field experience, not political considerations, it said. The MoPNG also referred to a July 4 press conference, in which senior executives from top automakers said that E20 was introduced only after rigorous testing and extensive validation.
“Their statements were backed by real-world service data: Maruti Suzuki analysed 2.84 crore vehicles serviced in FY 2025-26, including over 1.5 crore older vehicles, and found no E20-related corrosion, abnormal wear or reduction in component life. Hero MotoCorp reported that its extensive service data showed no higher incidence of vehicle damage in two-wheelers operating on E20. Toyota Kirloskar stated that E20 was introduced only after rigorous testing on older vehicles, following internationally recognised testing protocols under UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) standards,” the MoPNG said.
According to auto industry insiders, petrol vehicles manufactured and sold after April 2023 are considered fully E20-compliant as this was mandated under the Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) phase two emission norms. This means that all vehicles currently being sold by manufacturers are fully compliant with E20, but most vehicles that were sold prior to 2023 are not. The permissible life of a petrol vehicle in the National Capital Region (NCR) is 15 years, which means that cars manufactured in 2022 can be in use till 2037, as per the current norms.
Amid the backlash, the government announced that no decision has been taken on raising blending levels beyond the current 20%, and any decision to raise the blending levels will be taken only after detailed studies and stakeholder consultations. There is also no plan to make lower ethanol-petrol blends and pure petrol available at fuel stations.
India achieved 20% ethanol blending in petrol five years ahead of schedule. The ethanol-petrol blending programme dates back over two decades, but after languishing for about a decade, the programme gathered pace over the past few years as the present government made concerted efforts to ensure sufficient ethanol availability. Average blending rose from about 1.5% in ethanol supply year 2013-14 to 10% in 2021-22, and further to 20% in the 2025-26.
According to the government, extensive laboratory studies and field trials conducted by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), society of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) and automobile manufacturers covering parameters such as engine durability, drivability, startability, corrosion resistance, material compatibility, emissions and fuel efficiency confirmed that E20 is safe for use under prescribed standards.
There is no pressure from the government on vehicle manufacturers to support E20 petrol or to hide any facts about the fuel, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) said Thursday, rejecting certain claims doing the rounds on social media. Amid the public backlash over E20 fuel — 80 parts petrol and 20 parts ethanol — the ministry also rejected claims that automakers have privately indicated that E20 is not desirable.
India achieved 20% ethanol blending in petrol last year and E20 is the standard petrol variant available across the country. There has been a public backlash over the E20 fuel, with claims ranging from a notable reduction in mileage to engine component wear and tear in older vehicles whose engines were not designed for higher ethanol blends.
On its part, the government has been attempting to allay fears, saying that the drop in mileage in older vehicles would be 3-5% at most, and would be outweighed by the benefits like higher octane rating, superior anti-knock characteristics, faster combustion, better pickup, smoother acceleration and cleaner engine operation. The government has also consistently rejected claims that E20 fuel could damage engine components, saying that the extensive testing and field validation was done before E20 petrol was rolled out.
“Had automobile manufacturers not been satisfied with the scientific validation, they would neither have certified E20-compatible vehicles, nor continued to honour warranty obligations. Manufacturers continue to honour warranties for vehicles operating on specification-compliant E20 fuel because they have confidence in the extensive testing that preceded the rollout,” the MoPNG said.
“India’s automobile manufacturers are independent listed companies with legal and regulatory obligations to their customers. They cannot conceal widespread vehicle defects without exposing themselves to warranty claims, product liability, regulatory action and serious reputational damage,” it added.
According to the government, vehicle manufacturers wouldn’t have honoured vehicle warranties after E20 rollout had they believed that the fuel was fading systemic engine damage. Warranty decisions are based on engineering validation and field experience, not political considerations, it said. The MoPNG also referred to a July 4 press conference, in which senior executives from top automakers said that E20 was introduced only after rigorous testing and extensive validation.
“Their statements were backed by real-world service data: Maruti Suzuki analysed 2.84 crore vehicles serviced in FY 2025-26, including over 1.5 crore older vehicles, and found no E20-related corrosion, abnormal wear or reduction in component life. Hero MotoCorp reported that its extensive service data showed no higher incidence of vehicle damage in two-wheelers operating on E20. Toyota Kirloskar stated that E20 was introduced only after rigorous testing on older vehicles, following internationally recognised testing protocols under UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) standards,” the MoPNG said.
According to auto industry insiders, petrol vehicles manufactured and sold after April 2023 are considered fully E20-compliant as this was mandated under the Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) phase two emission norms. This means that all vehicles currently being sold by manufacturers are fully compliant with E20, but most vehicles that were sold prior to 2023 are not. The permissible life of a petrol vehicle in the National Capital Region (NCR) is 15 years, which means that cars manufactured in 2022 can be in use till 2037, as per the current norms.
Amid the backlash, the government announced that no decision has been taken on raising blending levels beyond the current 20%, and any decision to raise the blending levels will be taken only after detailed studies and stakeholder consultations. There is also no plan to make lower ethanol-petrol blends and pure petrol available at fuel stations.
India achieved 20% ethanol blending in petrol five years ahead of schedule. The ethanol-petrol blending programme dates back over two decades, but after languishing for about a decade, the programme gathered pace over the past few years as the present government made concerted efforts to ensure sufficient ethanol availability. Average blending rose from about 1.5% in ethanol supply year 2013-14 to 10% in 2021-22, and further to 20% in the 2025-26.
According to the government, extensive laboratory studies and field trials conducted by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), society of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) and automobile manufacturers covering parameters such as engine durability, drivability, startability, corrosion resistance, material compatibility, emissions and fuel efficiency confirmed that E20 is safe for use under prescribed standards.
