Will E-20 petrol reduce the mileage of your car? Know how much the monthly expenses will increase

Ever since the implementation of E-20 (20% ethanol in petrol) petrol across the country, there is a big question in the minds of vehicle owners – will it reduce the mileage of the vehicle? In a country like India, where people keep track of the average of every kilometer and every drop of petrol, this concern is justified. If you travel 50 kilometers a day, how much impact will the E-20 have on your pocket? Is the difference big enough that you will notice it? Let us understand all this mathematics from the opinion of auto experts.

Petrol consumption and burden on pocket

Let us understand this with an example. Suppose your car earlier used to give a mileage of 15 kilometers per liter, which reduces to 14.2 kilometers per liter after using E-20. If you drive 50 kilometers daily, your fuel consumption will increase from 99 liters to around 102 liters in a month. If we look at the price of E-20 petrol in Delhi, there can be a difference of about Rs 300 in monthly expenses. According to auto expert Tutu Dhawan, if your budget is very tight then it can bother you, otherwise it is not such a huge amount that the common consumer will be affected much.

Mileage and Maintenance: What will happen to old vehicles?

Auto expert Avik Chattopadhyay believes that using E-20 will not only reduce mileage but will also increase maintenance costs. He says that there will be less damage in new vehicles, but the risk of damage is more in old vehicles. That is, overall, the impact of E-20 may be slightly higher for old vehicle owners than for new vehicle owners.

How much drop in mileage is possible?

According to Anuj Guglani, CEO of World Auto Forum, if you put this fuel in an E-20 compliant vehicle, the mileage may drop by 2 to 6%. At the same time, if E-20 is added to an old E-10 vehicle, the reduction can be 8 to 10%. However, he supported this decision of the government and said that during the global oil crisis, ethanol blending has kept the rising petrol prices in India under control to a great extent.

Efficiency also depends on engine size

According to experts, fuel efficiency also depends on the size of the engine. Amit Khare, founder of ‘Ask Car Guru’ estimates that this decline could be 10-12%. He believes that its impact is greater on vehicles with small engines, whereas its impact is comparatively less on vehicles with larger engines. At the same time, experts argue that the ‘energy density’ of ethanol is less than that of petrol, due to which there is a slight difference in the energy obtained when burnt.

Is there a violation of consumer laws?

Consumer Expert Prof. Bejon Mishra says on this that under the ‘Consumer Protection Act’ it is the right of the customers to get correct and understandable information about fuel. If consumers are not being given clear information about the changes and their effects, it is against the rules. It is the responsibility of the administration to maintain transparency so that the common man does not have any kind of confusion.