Are you ready for the change to E10 petrol?

UK petrol is changing. From September 2021, the petrol at UK pumps marked ‘standard’ or 95 octane will be E10 instead of E5.

Lots of us missed this news when it first came out in February this year, as it was sneaked out amid Covid vaccination announcements and much ado about Harry and Megan losing their royal titles.

Why the change? The new E10 petrol is better for the environment as it contains up to 10% renewable ethanol. This means lower carbon dioxide emissions, which helps tackle climate change.

There’s a downside, though, as adding more ethanol reduces your car’s miles per gallon performance. The government promises the reduction will only be around 1% for the average car, which is unlikely to wreck most drivers’ budgets. Plenty of drivers suffer a reduction in MPG equally bad from driving around with under-inflated tyres, over-revving their engine or using the air-conditioning below 50 MPH when it’s more economical to open the window.

Almost all vehicles can use E10, but a few older models, motorbikes and mopeds can’t. Fear not! iCompario is here to help. We’ve created a handy online tool for you to check of your own car (or motorbike) is compatible with E10.

What if your vehicle can’t use E10 petrol? You can still run your car or bike on ‘super’ grade petrol, also called 97 octane or higher. This grade of petrol will be E5, with a maximum of 5% ethanol, so its level of combustibility is suitable for any engine, even vintage cars.