Premium petrol to remain ethanol-free; no plan to blend beyond 20% as of now: Govt to Parliament
Consumers buying premium petrol from state-run fuel retailers will continue to get ethanol free fuel. The Centre on Thursday clarified that these specialised grades will remain exempt from the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme. It further added that, currently, there is no proposal either to bring back E0 or E10 petrol or to raise ethanol blending in regular petrol beyond the current 20%. The clarification came in the Lok Sabha through written replies by minister of state for petroleum and natural gas Suresh Gopi, who said any decision on increasing ethanol blending beyond 20% would be taken only after detailed scientific and technical studies and consultations with automobile manufacturers, oil marketing companies and research institutions.
Why premium petrol is exempt
According to the minister, Indian Oil Corporation’s XP100, Hindustan Petroleum‘s poWer100 and Bharat Petroleum’s Speed100 are supplied without ethanol because they are niche fuels containing specialised performance-enhancing additives. These premium grades account for only around 0.5% of the country’s total petrol sales.Premium petrol is priced at around Rs 160 per litre, while regular petrol blended with 20% ethanol is sold at Rs 102.12 per litre.The government has directed both public and private fuel retailers to supply petrol blended with up to 20% ethanol across all states and Union territories under the EBP programme. It also notified ethanol-blended motor spirit with a minimum Research Octane Number (RON) of 95 with effect from April 1, 2026.
No widespread complaints over E20
The government said it has not received any widespread or substantiated complaints from vehicle manufacturers, automobile associations or consumer organisations regarding E20 fuel.Gopi said laboratory studies, field trials and operational data have shown no widespread adverse impact on engine durability, vehicle performance or vehicle life. He added that more than 20 crore two-wheelers and over 3 crore petrol cars have been running on higher ethanol blends without verified evidence of widespread engine failures linked to ethanol blending.
E0 and E10 are not coming back
The Centre also ruled out restoring petrol with lower ethanol content, saying there is no proposal to reintroduce E0 or E10 fuel.“Having been scientifically validated and accepted by the automobile industry after extensive testing, there is no proposal to revert to E0/E10 petrol,” Gopi said.Explaining the decision, he said maintaining separate nationwide supply chains for E0, E10 and E20 petrol across more than one lakh retail outlets would significantly increase logistics complexity as well as inventory and handling costs.“The objective of public policy is to move forward with a superior fuel, not return to an inferior standard,” the minister said.“Maintaining parallel nationwide supply chains for E0, E10 and E20 petrol across more than one lakh retail outlets would significantly increase logistics complexity, inventory and handling costs. Public policy must balance consumer convenience with energy security, environmental sustainability and farmer welfare.”E0 is petrol without ethanol, while E10 contains 10% ethanol. E20, which contains 20% ethanol and 80% petrol, is currently sold at more than one lakh petrol pumps across the country, while premium petrol is available only at select outlets.The minister added that once a cleaner and scientifically validated fuel has been adopted, the objective is to move forward with better technology rather than revert to an inferior standard.
