IN a bid to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the standard grade of unleaded petrol sold in Great Britain will change from September.
The standard unleaded petrol grade is currently E5 (97+ octane), but this will soon be replaced by a more efficient grade called E10 (95 octane).
E5 will still be available at most filling stations for vehicles that cannot run on E10.
E10 has a reduced impact on the environment because it contains up to 10% renewable bioethanol, so it will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from vehicles.
E5 contains up to 5% renewable bioethanol.
The government has estimated that the change could reduce transport CO2 emissions by 750,000 tonnes a year - the equivalent of taking 350,000 cars off the road.
The petrol is already available in the European Union, Australia and the United States, and it will become the standard unleaded petrol sold in Northern Ireland early next year.
Since 2016, E10 has been the reference fuel used to test cars for emissions and performance.
A lot of questions have been asked about how the change will affect motorists.
Here are the answers...
Can I fill my car with E10 petrol?
Around 95% of petrol-powered cars on the road today can use E10, and every car built since 2011 is E10 compatible.
Most cars and motorcycles built since the late 1990s can use E10, but around 600,000 vehicles – including older or classic models and some mopeds – may not be compatible.
You can check online if your car is compatible with E10.
Can I still buy E5 petrol if my car is not E10 compatible?
Most filling stations will continue to sell E5 as 'super' grade petrol.
Stations will use circular labels to make it easy to identify petrol as either E5 or E10.
However, some rural or small filling stations may sell E5 or E10 – but not both.
Can I have a mix of E5 and E10 petrol in my tank?
If your car can run on E10 petrol, you will be able to have a mixture of both grades in your tank.
If E10 petrol is not available at a filling station, you will be able to fill up with E5.
Will E10 affect my car’s fuel economy?
Using E10 petrol may reduce your car’s fuel economy by around 1%.
The government says that this “is unlikely to be noticeable in everyday driving”.
What if I put E10 into a non-compatible car?
If your car is not E10 compatible, but you accidentally fill your car’s tank with the fuel, there is no need to panic – using a single tank of it should not cause major problems.
If this happens, the RAC recommends that, when you have used between one-third and half of the tank, you should fill up your car with the correct grade to reduce the impact on the engine.
It is believed that only repeated use of the wrong fuel will cause some metal and plastic components to corrode.
Will E10 cost more than E5?
The introduction of E10 will not make it more expensive to fill up compatible cars.
It may become more expensive for drivers who continue to use E5 fuel, as the only E5 petrol left on many forecourts will be 'super' grade 97+ octane.
This means it could cost up to £6.11 more to fill older vehicles than it does currently.
What about diesel?
The owners of diesel-powered vehicles will not be affected by this change.
Diesel sold in the UK contains up to 7% biodiesel, so it has been labelled B7 at filling pumps since the Department for Transport introduced its labelling system in 2019.
B7 diesel can be used by all diesel vehicles.
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