E10 Petrol Switch: What You Need To Know

Vanaways
Lee
1st Nov 2021
E10 Petrol Switch: What You Need To Know

Perhaps you’ve noticed a few differences when you’ve gone to fill up your vehicle with fuel and that is that the new E10 petrol has been put on the market all over the UK. So, you might have a few questions about it and wonder what this means for you?

With that in mind, we explain the ins and outs of this new fuel to give you a greater understanding of it.

What is E10 Fuel?

From 1 September E10 fuel is now considered the 'standard' type of unleaded being sold at petrol stations across the country. E10 fuel is the term used to reference petroleum that possesses a 10% biofuel content. The typical fuel you are probably accustomed to is E5, which, as you may have assumed, has a 5% biofuel content.

Put simply, E10 is a motor fuel that contains less carbon and more ethanol than other fuels. Ethanol is a kind of fuel made from plants such as sugar and wheat and the new E10 fuel will contain 10% ethanol and 90% unleaded petroleum - this makes it a lot better for the environment.

What's E10 petrol made from and what is the difference?

The name 'E10' refers to the ethanol - or bioethanol - mixture in the fuel. As previously mentioned, E10 is 10 percent, up from a 5 per cent mix from E5 petrol that's been supplied at forecourts for a long time. Essentially, the higher the ethanol mix, the greener the fuel.

This is because the bioethanol content is alcohol-based and made from the fermentation of various plants including sugarcane, cassava and hemp, as well as grains, potato and waste wood.

How does switching to E10 petrol impact me?

E10 fuel is suitable for all cars produced after 2011, and the vast majority of vehicle manufacturers from 2000 will be able to use it, although there are a handful of older model vehicles such as mopeds under 50cc and some gardening equipment that will not.

You now actually find out if your vehicle is suitable for E10 with the government’s compatibility checker.

It’s also useful to know that if you did fill up with E10 and your car is not suitable, it won’t break your engine but filling up with the new fuel on a regular basis could cause damage to rubber seals, plastics and metal. Make sure you check the suitable fuel for your vehicle.

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