Overview
- The Ministry of Petroleum and testing agencies say E20 has been through lab and field trials and that nationwide checks of about 90,000 stations found no widespread water ingress or chloride contamination.
- Officials have acknowledged a marginal 3–5% drop in fuel economy for some vehicles built for E10 and stressed that mileage also depends on driving habits, maintenance, tyre pressure and AC use.
- Vehicle owners and viral social media posts reporting reduced mileage and performance have kept public pressure on authorities despite official test results and manufacturer statements.
- The Chief Economic Adviser recommended restoring E10 as an option at pumps to protect roughly 75–80 million older carburetted two‑wheelers that cannot auto‑adjust air‑fuel mix and whose rubber seals can degrade on higher ethanol blends.
- Policymakers face trade‑offs between energy security and rural incomes from ethanol production, the logistical scale of retrofitting millions of vehicles, and managing public confidence in the rollout while options such as dual‑blend supply are considered.