Gadkari Rejects E20 Engine Damage Claims, Dares Critics to Name One Affected Vehicle

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has thrown down the gauntlet to critics of E20 ethanol-blended petrol, asking them to name a single vehicle that has been damaged by the E20 fuel - 80% petrol and 20% ethanol as he dismissed concerns over engine performance as a "false narrative".

Speaking at the Viksit Bharat Conclave, Gadkari said he was unaware of a single verified instance where a petrol vehicle had suffered engine damage because of E20 fuel.

"Can anyone name a single petrol car that has been damaged because of E20 fuel? Does anyone personally know someone whose petrol vehicle was damaged because of ethanol?" he asked.

He argued that if E20 were genuinely damaging engines, India's leading carmakers would have raised the issue long ago. Pointing to Maruti Suzuki, which holds around 40 per cent of the domestic passenger vehicle market and has sold nearly 1.75 crore vehicles, Gadkari said manufacturers such as Toyota and Honda would not approve fuel compatibility without rigorous testing.

"These are world-class companies. Japanese manufacturers, in particular, are extremely strict. They don't approve a fuel blend without thorough testing. Their vehicles undergo nearly four years of validation before they are cleared," he said.

According to Gadkari, vehicle manufacturers first carry out extensive testing through agencies such as the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and other certification bodies. Their recommendations are then examined by the Petroleum Ministry before any fuel standard is approved.

The minister said neither the government nor automobile companies have received any verified complaints linking E20 to engine damage.

"If anyone's vehicle has actually been damaged because of E20, they should file a complaint with the dealer and also send one to my ministry. Vehicle standards come under my department and we are ready to investigate. But I want to make it clear that no company has reported such a complaint so far," he said.

Gadkari also pointed to global experience with ethanol-blended fuels, saying India is far from being the first country to adopt them. Brazil, he noted, has been using petrol blended with around 27 per cent ethanol since the 1970s, while countries including the United States, France, Germany, Sweden, Canada, the Philippines, Thailand and Japan also mandate ethanol blending at varying levels.

He further claimed that ethanol-based fuel had even been used in fighter aircraft and helicopters during Republic Day celebrations a few years ago.

Explaining the technology, Gadkari said E20-compatible vehicles and flex-fuel vehicles are not the same. While E20-compatible petrol vehicles are designed to run on petrol containing up to 20 per cent ethanol and comply with BS-VI emission norms, flex-fuel vehicles can run on any blend ranging from pure petrol to 100 per cent ethanol.

He said several manufacturers, including Maruti Suzuki, Toyota, Tata Motors, Mahindra, Hyundai and Honda, are developing or introducing flex-fuel models in India. Referring to the flex-fuel version of the WagonR, he said the technology would give consumers more fuel options while lowering running costs.

The minister also argued that ethanol is far cheaper than petrol, estimating its effective cost at around ₹25-30 per litre compared with petrol prices of about ₹120 per litre. Wider use of ethanol, he said, would help consumers save money while reducing India's dependence on imported fossil fuels.

While Gadkari insisted there was no evidence linking E20 to engine damage, some independent mechanics have reported a different experience, particularly with older vehicles.

According to a report by OneIndia's DriveSpark, Bala, who runs a car workshop in Chinnamanur, Tamil Nadu, said he has seen older vehicles not specifically designed for E20 arrive with fuel system-related issues, which he suspects could be linked to the higher ethanol blend.

Bala also claimed that E20 has a shorter storage life than conventional petrol. Fuel left unused in the tank for extended periods, he said, could deteriorate and potentially affect rubber seals, hoses and other fuel system components in older vehicles that were not engineered for higher ethanol content.

However, the report also found that not every mechanic shared the same experience. Workshop operators in Bengaluru and several other cities said they had not observed widespread mechanical issues linked to E20, though many reported receiving frequent customer complaints about reduced fuel efficiency.

DriveSpark noted that it could not independently verify whether E20 alone caused the issues reported by some mechanics, pointing out that factors such as vehicle age, maintenance history, storage conditions, contaminated fuel and existing wear could also have contributed.