{"id":1301314,"date":"2025-10-14T09:48:53","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T04:18:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/?p=1301314"},"modified":"2025-10-14T09:49:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T04:19:21","slug":"e20-fuel-is-reducing-mileage-in-80-older-vehicles-survey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/e20-fuel-is-reducing-mileage-in-80-older-vehicles-survey\/","title":{"rendered":"E20 Fuel Is Reducing Mileage In 80% Older Vehicles: Survey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>India\u2019s transition to E20 petrol\u2014fuel containing 20% ethanol\u2014was intended to reduce oil imports and promote cleaner energy. But for millions of vehicle owners, it\u2019s proving costly. According to a new survey by LocalCircles, <strong>8 in 10 petrol vehicle owners<\/strong> have experienced a noticeable drop in mileage since the nationwide rollout began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"709\" src=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-04-19-at-2.13.04-PM-1024x709-1.png\" alt=\"E20 Fuel Is Reducing Mileage In 80% Older Vehicles: Survey\" class=\"wp-image-1301324\" srcset=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-04-19-at-2.13.04-PM-1024x709-1.png 1024w, https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-04-19-at-2.13.04-PM-1024x709-1-300x208.png 300w, https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-04-19-at-2.13.04-PM-1024x709-1-768x532.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The survey highlights that complaints about fuel efficiency have increased significantly\u2014from <strong>67% in August 2025 to 80% in October 2025<\/strong>. The most affected are owners of vehicles purchased in 2022 or earlier, which were not fully optimized for higher ethanol blends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Survey Findings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The LocalCircles survey collected <strong>over 36,000 responses<\/strong> from petrol vehicle owners <a href=\"https:\/\/www.business-standard.com\/industry\/auto\/e20-fuel-ethanol-blend-old-petrol-vehicles-impact-mileage-maintenance-125101300512_1.html\">across <strong>323 districts<\/strong> in India<\/a>. The participant base was diverse:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>69%<\/strong> were men, <strong>31%<\/strong> women.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>45%<\/strong> respondents were from Tier-I cities, <strong>27%<\/strong> from Tier-II cities, and <strong>28%<\/strong> from smaller towns and rural areas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>While the government has maintained that E20 is compatible with all vehicles, the on-ground reality suggests otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Maintenance Costs on the Rise<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond fuel efficiency, owners are reporting a sharp increase in <strong>maintenance and repair costs<\/strong>. Mechanics in major cities say they have seen a <strong>40% rise in fuel-related issues<\/strong> since April 2025. Problems range from hard starts and engine knocking to severe corrosion in fuel lines and injectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In one extreme case, a <strong>luxury car owner in Chennai<\/strong> reportedly spent <strong>\u20b94 lakh<\/strong> on engine repairs after the fuel system was damaged due to water contamination linked to E20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What\u2019s Causing the Problem?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Experts explain that ethanol, being hygroscopic, absorbs moisture from the air, which can cause corrosion and dilution of fuel. Older engines designed for low-ethanol petrol (E10 or lower) are particularly vulnerable. These vehicles often lack ethanol-resistant seals, hoses, and injectors\u2014leading to premature wear and damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Government\u2019s Stand<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The government continues to promote E20 as a step toward energy self-reliance and cleaner emissions. The <strong>Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas<\/strong> and <strong>NITI Aayog<\/strong> argue that all vehicles manufactured since 2017 are technically E20-compliant, provided regular maintenance is done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the LocalCircles findings suggest that real-world performance doesn\u2019t align with lab claims. Many drivers argue that the <strong>cost savings from ethanol-blended petrol are negated by reduced mileage<\/strong> and <strong>higher repair expenses<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Road Ahead<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>With ethanol blending here to stay, vehicle owners may need to adapt through more frequent maintenance, fuel system cleaning, and use of compatible additives. Automakers are also expected to roll out <strong>E20-optimized models<\/strong> in the coming months to minimize performance losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For now, the debate continues\u2014between policymakers pursuing sustainability goals and consumers grappling with real-world challenges at the fuel pump.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India\u2019s transition to E20 petrol\u2014fuel containing 20% ethanol\u2014was intended to reduce oil imports and promote cleaner energy. But for millions of vehicle owners, it\u2019s proving costly. According to a new survey by LocalCircles, 8 in 10 petrol vehicle owners have experienced a noticeable drop in mileage since the nationwide rollout began. The survey highlights that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":1301324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[8808,8437,8807],"class_list":["post-1301314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-e-20","tag-e20","tag-e20-fuel"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>E20 Fuel Is Reducing Mileage In 80% Older Vehicles: Survey - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile &amp; Startups<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/e20-fuel-is-reducing-mileage-in-80-older-vehicles-survey\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"E20 Fuel Is Reducing Mileage In 80% Older Vehicles: Survey - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile &amp; Startups\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"India\u2019s transition to E20 petrol\u2014fuel containing 20% ethanol\u2014was intended to reduce oil imports and promote cleaner energy. 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