Calling all car owners: last warning to check your car’s compatibility with new ‘green petrol’
We recently reported on the 10 cars that won’t work with the ‘green petrol’ as the UK’s is set to introduce the E10 fuel that is currently commonplace across Europe.
The new, more environmentally friendly fuel will become standard as of September, but some drivers won’t be able to use it to fill up their vehicles, which means you could have less than two weeks to check if your car is compatible or upgrade your wheels.
E10 fuel is replacing E5 to help bring down Britain’s CO2 emissions by approximately 750,000 tonnes per year – the equivalent of taking up to 350,000 cars off the road, according to the RAC. The difference is, essentially, that E10 contains up to 10 per cent ethanol as opposed to the 5 per cent ethanol of E5.
While some people might have assumed they can just start filling up their car with the newer unleaded alternative, that won’t necessarily be the case for everyone. The advice is that if your car is a 2011 model or older, you need to log on to the government’s E10 checker.
Now, don’t panic too much: most cars will be able to run on E10 petrol but it is estimated that around 600,000 older vehicles won’t be compatible with the new fuel – be sure to check out our list above to see examples. However, if you’re thinking you can run the risk of trying out E10 in your old banger, think again. Seriously, do not end up like one of those pillocks.
Additionally, vehicles manufactured from 2019 onwards should have a label close to the petrol cap clearly denoting which fuels can be used. E10 will obviously be the go-to from now but should drivers have to fill the tanks up with E5, they’ll have to spend more on what is now the more expensive yet less efficient premium petrol.
The Department for Transport said E5 will still be provided at “most” UK forecourts”, ensuring “both a wide roll-out of E10 as the standard petrol grade and UK-wide provision of lower-ethanol E5 fuel, which will still be required for some vehicles and equipment.”
So, before you get punished at the pump, make sure to check the specifications of your car now and save yourself the trouble.
Related links
- Four-day work week in the UK ‘could drastically cut carbon footprint’
- There’s now too much CO2 in the atmosphere that planting trees cannot save us
- ‘We need to take action on climate change,’ says PM who flew from London to Cornwall
