Overview
- The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways amended the Central Motor Vehicles Rules to include E100 alongside E85 in emission and testing provisions, with the change notified on October 23 and published in the Official Gazette on October 26.
- The rule applies only to original equipment manufacturer‑designed flex‑fuel vehicles and does not permit owners of existing petrol or E20‑compatible cars to use E85 or E100 or require them to modify their vehicles.
- The amendment clears a legal hurdle for automakers to certify and register flex‑fuel internal‑combustion models and follows Maruti Suzuki’s June launch of a Wagon R Flex Fuel and ongoing development work by other OEMs.
- Commercial uptake remains tiny because retail dispensing is limited, registrations of E85/E100 vehicles are very low, and buyers worry about compatibility, higher fuel consumption from ethanol’s lower energy density, and unclear pricing and tax treatment.
- What to watch next: fuel retail expansion plans by the petroleum ministry, government decisions on procurement and taxes for ethanol, and whether pumps reach the roughly 500 outlets pledges for December 2026 to make E100 viable for drivers and farmers.