1 Out Of 4 Owners Faced Engine Issues After E20 Petrol Use In Older Cars: New Survey

E20 petrol (petrol blended with 20 percent Ethanol) has become a hot topic of discussion among vehicle owners. People are mostly worried about the possible damage that the prolonged use of Ethanol-blended fuel could cause to the vehicle’s engine and fuel lines. The government has, however, been dismissing these concerns and reassuring citizens that the use of blended petrol is safe.

New Survey, Interesting Results

Contrary to these claims, a survey by the community platform LocalCircles reveals that 28% of pre-2022 petrol vehicle owners faced unusual wear and tear or need for repair in 2025, after the rollout of E20 commenced. This means that one in every four people who own old (pre 2022) cars suffer from unexpected wear. These are seen primarily in areas (components) like the engine, fuel line, tank, and carburettor.

Two out of three owners also reported significant dips in fuel efficiency after they shifted to E20 petrol. All these essentially mean higher ownership and operational costs.

The survey collected responses from over 37,000 people from across 331 districts. Looking at the respondent demographics, 42% were from Tier-1 cities, 30% were from Tier-2s, and 28% were from rural and semi-rural areas. 68% of people who responded were men, while the rest were women.

The survey also revealed that 52 per cent of respondents were willing to support E20 petrol if the prices would fall by atleast 20% and they were given the freedom to choose between multiple blends. Currently, the fuel pumps in India sell only E20.

Pankaj Jain, the Petroleum Ministry secretary had recently clarified that pumps will only dispense E20 fuel and multi-blend sales are not in the cards for now. The survey, however, highlights that most people wish to choose between multiple blends rather than being forced to buy one that they aren’t happy with.

More About The E20 Controversy

Ethanol and pure petrol have different combustion properties. This means that to make vehicles compatible, several components will need to be modified- from fuel tank, to fuel lines and engine. Ethanol can be corrosive on the engine cylinders. This can be a major concern to vehicles that aren’t used everyday. E20 compatible engines come with special coating that would prevent the same.

Talking of combustion, Ethanol contains more Oxygen and burns a little differently than petrol. Compliant engines will need to be recalibrated completely to operate safely. Engine Control Systems will need to be calibrated accordingly. Modern engines use sensors to gauge oxygen levels and fuel composition.

These will need to be modified to suit E20-based operation. All these mean that E20 conversions of non-compliant vehicles will not be easy! It will require careful adjustments, re-engineering and more importantly, solid durability testing.

The transition to E20 fuel is claimed to reduce India’s dependence on crude oil imports and curb pollution by cutting down vehicular emissions. In the long run, however, the use of ethanol-blended petrol could potentially cause problems with the engine and even corrode rubber components inside the vehicle.

Recently, some manufacturers even issued circulars warning users against the possible risks of using E20 fuel on older (pre-2022) vehicles. Some carmakers have already announced E-20 compliance, while others have simply remained silent about the same. All these have made the customer sceptical and slightly panicky about making the transition.

The Government's Response

The Indian Government, however, has been confident about the move. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has dismissed claims of possible engine wear due to the use of E20 petrol, even when he admitted that blended fuel will deliver slightly lower mileage due to its lower energy density than pure petrol. He even came up with an open challenge in which he asked citizens to show him one example of a vehicle which had problems from using E20 petrol.