Petrol will change from 1 April 2026: What will be the effect of E20 and RON 95 on your bike and car?

If you drive a bike or a car, you will see a big change related to fuel from April 1, 2026. The Government of India has decided that petrol sold across the country will now be in E20 format and will have minimum RON 95 (Research Octane Number) Will be mandatory.
This means that a maximum of 20% ethanol will be mixed in petrol.

This change is directly related to vehicle owners, mileage, engine performance and environment.

What is E20 petrol and why is it being implemented?

E20 petrol It is a fuel in which about 20 percent ethanol is mixed. Ethanol is usually prepared from sugarcane, corn and other agricultural products.

The government wants to achieve several big goals through this step:

• Reducing dependence on crude oil imports
• reducing pollution
• increasing farmers’ income
• promote clean fuel

India has already achieved the target of 10% ethanol blending ahead of schedule. Taking the same forward, E20 is now being implemented. Due to this, fuel will burn more cleanly and smoke emanating from vehicles will also reduce.

What will be the impact on new and old vehicles?

According to experts related to auto sector, Most cars and bikes made after 2023–2025 are E20 ready Has been done. Therefore, there is less possibility of any major technical change or problem in the new vehicles.

However, some changes may be seen in case of old vehicles:

• Mileage approx. Reduction from 3% to 7% can come
• Fuel consumption may increase slightly
• Some older engines may experience slight performance differences

This happens because the energy efficiency of ethanol is slightly less than traditional petrol.

What is RON 95 and why is it important?

government in petrol RON 95 The decision to make it mandatory has been taken keeping in mind the safety of the engine.

RON (Research Octane Number) This indicates that premature combustion occurs in the petrol engine i.e. knocking How much can be stopped?

• When fuel burns prematurely the engine makes a “ping” sound.
• This may cause damage to the engine in the long run
• Petrol with higher RON provides better protection to the engine.

Therefore, RON 95 petrol will help in keeping the engine performance stable.

E20 petrol will be available in the entire country

According to the notification of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on February 17, all the petroleum companies of the country will operate in the states and union territories. 20% ethanol blended petrol Will sell, which will be as per the standards of Bureau of Indian Standards.

However, under certain special circumstances, the Central Government may grant exemption to some areas for a limited period of time.

What should vehicle owners do?

It is important for vehicle owners to know some things before April 1, 2026:

• your bike or car Is it compatible with E20 fuel or not?check this
• If the vehicle is old, consult a service center
• Use fuel as per company guidelines

It is clear that a new phase of petrol use is going to start in India from 2026. In such a situation, it will be beneficial for vehicle owners to get information and prepare in time.