What is E10 Petrol?

Production of petrol cars may be set to halt by 2040 but that hasn't stopped the government from launching a public consultation on low-carbon E10 petrol, a new category of fuel engineered to minimise greenhouse gas emissions in new cars. While current unleaded petrol contains just 5% bioethanol, E10 ups the figure to 10%. This has a small yet noticeable impact on greenhouse gas emissions, which drop by 2% for E10-powered vehicles.

While the European Union ruled that all new cars sold after 2011 must be able to run on E10 petrol, the government estimates that the fuel remains incompatible with roughly one million British vehicles. Older cars are a key concern, with the higher bioethanol content of E10 dislodging deposits and blocking fuel systems, as well as causing corrosion in seals, gaskets, metals and plastics.

E10 could hit pockets of vehicle owners

With this in mind, the Department for Transport is considering whether E10 should be introduced to national petrol stations. There are concerns over labelling, as well as whether regular E5 unleaded should be issued a “protection grade” to prevent price hikes and ensure “drivers of older vehicles should not be hit hard in the pocket."

Transport Minister Jesse Norman maintains the consultation regarding E10 is part of the government's plan to “cut carbon emissions from transport” and work towards meeting global climate change targets.

“This government is ambitiously seeking to reduce the U.K.’s reliance on imported fossil fuels and cut carbon emissions from transport," he says. “We have launched this consultation in order to understand the impact of E10 on the U.K. market better, and to ensure that drivers are protected if any changes come into effect.”

Renewable Energy Association slams public consultation

Meanwhile, the proposals have received fiery criticism from the UK Renewable Energy Association, which claims the government is attempting to prevent and delay the launch of E10.

“It goes against the polluter pays principle and will ensure that cleaner fuel, which is the best for the majority of cars, will only be found in a minority of petrol stations, warns Grant Pearson, chair of the REA’s transport fuel group. "We need an effective way of making the transition to greener petrol, whilst protecting U.K. motorists. We believe this can be achieved by making E10 widely available alongside a legacy fuel such as ‘super/98’.

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