Mileage Drop, Rising Maintenance Costs: Survey Reveals Vehicle Owners' Experience After Using E20 Fuel In 2025

Vehicle owners in India have complained that their vehicles’ fuel efficiency has reduced significantly after India made a nationwide rollout of E20 petrol, which contains 20% ethanol.

A new survey conducted by LocalCircles revealed that E20 fuel is reducing mileage while also increasing maintenance costs for older petrol vehicles. The survey concluded that eight vehicle owners out of 10 purchased in 2022 or earlier said their vehicle’s fuel efficiency had dropped in 2025. The E20 fuel became mandatory across India in April 2025, and since then the owners have reported mileage and performance issues.

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The fuel consumption of vehicles bought before 2023 has increased even though the government maintains that E20 is safe for all vehicles. Worringly, the share of such owners reporting reduced mileage in their vehicles has risen sharply, from 67 percent in August to 80 percent in October.

During their survey, LocalCircles received over 36,000 responses from petrol vehicle owners across 323 districts in India. Of the respondents, 69 percent were men and 31 percent were women. About 45 per cent were from Tier-I cities, 27 percent from Tier-II and 28 per cent from smaller towns and rural areas.

Read Also: Ethanol-Blended Petrol: Car Experts Warn Of 2-5% Fuel Efficiency Drop

Some owners have reported spending money on repairs due to higher wear and tear after their engines allegedly failed due to water contamination caused by E20. To corroborate with this, mechanics across cities have also reported a 40 percentpercent rise in fuel-related problems since April.

Vehicles are facing unusual levels of wear and tear or repair needs in 2025, impacting key parts such as the engine, fuel line, tank and carburetor. The issue has risen from 28 percent in August to 52 percent in October.