Automobile and two-wheeler manufacturers on Saturday sought to reassure consumers over the use of E20 petrol, dismissing concerns over engine damage, corrosion and excessive wear as India accelerates its ethanol blending programme to cut crude oil imports and lower emissions.

Industry executives said extensive testing across vehicle categories has shown no significant issues with E20 fuel, even in vehicles designed for E10 petrol, while acknowledging that motorists may see a marginal decline in fuel efficiency because of ethanol’s lower energy content.

The clarification comes amid growing debate on social media and among vehicle owners over whether the higher ethanol blend could affect engine durability, fuel efficiency and maintenance costs, particularly in older vehicles.

“We have sufficient factors of safety, and there are no problems in terms of wear and tear, corrosion, or damage to the life of the car or the parts that come in contact with E20 fuel,” said Rahul Bharti, senior executive officer, corporate affairs, Maruti Suzuki India.

Bharti said the company had tested pre-2023 E10-compatible cars on E20 fuel across all performance parameters and “has not found anything of concern”.

Backing the safety of the fuel, Vikram Gulati, country head and executive vice-president, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said all vehicles undergo rigorous testing before being certified and launched.

“The OEMs that are producing these vehicles test them elaborately. They have to be certified, homologated and then introduced. Ethanol is a good fuel, and its research octane number (RON) is much higher, therefore offering very good drivability. Its performance is so good that it is used in Formula 1 racing cars. It is also clean,” Gulati said.

Ashutosh Varma, chief business officer, India business unit, Hero MotoCorp, said the analysis of service records had found no evidence of more serious damage in vehicles operating on E20 fuel compared with earlier blends.

On concerns over fuel economy, Bharti acknowledged that E20 has a lower calorific value than E10, which could impact mileage by 3-3.5 per cent. However, he said several other factors—including tyre pressure, driving style, gear usage and vehicle maintenance—also have a significant bearing on fuel efficiency.

Responding to complaints circulating on social media, Puneet Anand of Hyundai said the company had not encountered any widespread issues.