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As I’m sure many of you have heard by now, a new type of petrol will be made the standard across the UK come September this year. As a result of this, many pieces of right and wrong information have been circulating in all online spheres of influence for a while now. Therefore, we are writing this to put straight a lot of the myths surrounding this new petrol, as well confirm some of the facts. However, before we begin. For those of you who may not be aware, we will start by briefing you all on just what is happening.
Come September 2021, the UK Government has decided to move to a new type of petrol called E10. All E10 means is Ethanol 10%. Which means the amount of Ethanol content in the petrol is allowed to be up to 10%. Currently, the standard is E5, so, Ethanol content up to 5%. E5 is fine for use on almost all engines designed to run on unleaded, however on older vehicles it is preferred to try and use petrol with as little Ethanol content as possible. Meaning anything graded “super” like “super unleaded” or Tesco’s Momentum 99, or preferably (in our opinion), Shell’s V-Power (due to the cleaning additives found in the petrol, but that’s another topic entirely).
The reason the Government wants to move to this new fuel, which France, Finland, Germany and Belgium have had for a while, as well the US, is because it’s actually bioethanol. Which is insanely renewable and more “green”. It is also supposed to help lower emissions from cars running this fuel. Due to the ethanol in the mixture, the exhausted gases contain less pollutants. So it’s a wonder fuel right? Yes and no. Despite its environmental benefits. The cost of it is marginally higher, and the energy potential it contains is lower, meaning less smiles per gallon. The following is an extract from the Express who wrote this article in 2020:....https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/ca ... oad-safety
“Analysis revealed moving from the fuel would reduce pump price costs by 0.2 pence per litre.
But the energy content of fuel will decrease meaning road users will need to buy more litres of fuel.
This means overall fuel costs would increase by a total of 1.6 percent as a result of switching from E5 to E10 petrol.”
This new fuel is reported to be damaging and incompatible with around 600,000 vehicles on UK roads. Though the number could easily be into the millions. Are claims made by the Express. However, the Express and other publications, like this article from AutoExpress .... https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/1041 ... eptember(I promise I don’t like the word express that much) say that the Government has said it will maintain the supply of E5 petrol for 5 years. However, only larger stations may be equipped to stock it, and it may mean only 1 E5 pump. That being said, super graded fuels, like the ones aforementioned, should still be perfectly fine for use even after the 5 years E5 has left.
Now that we understand just what E10 means. Let’s start looking into the rumours and speculations. I will aim to cite as many credible sources as possible for my information, so please do check them out yourself/do your own research, in order to gain the full truth. I do not claim to be an expert on this subject, and it is always possible I have missed something, or something changes. As a result of that, please only use this article.... as the start of your research/understanding.
Now then, let’s begin. I guess we should start with the biggie.
Q: Is this fuel bad for my car?
A: Well, that depends. Officially, anything built after 2011 should be okay. That being said, most cars 2002 onwards are perfectly fine with this petrol. And, according to this document PDF.... by the ACEA (European Automobile Manufactures Association – which doesn’t make any sense but whatever), any Subaru from 1991 onwards is perfectly fine.
Let’s stick Mazda’s though, namely MX5’s/Eunos’s/Roadsters. In the article I linked from AutoExpress they said:
“Previous research by the RAC Foundation indicated 28,000 Volkswagen Golfs, 18,162 Mazda MX-5s and almost 16,000 Nissan Micras in the UK are unable to run on E10.”
If you have a UK or JP spec MK1. Your car will NOT run on this new E10 petrol. The engine just wasn’t designed for it. If you run it then here is what damage it could cause:
The fuel tank will begin to rust away (and they’re a nightmare to change),
The fuel lines will rot,
The fuel filter will clog and fail
The fuel pump may fail,
Fuel injectors may fail,
The engine will run hotter, meaning more prone to overheating, which as you will know, overheating these engines, which naturally run hot (my own MK1, according to aftermarket temperature gauges – a mod you should all have – runs to 98 degrees before cooling itself) could cause significant warping to the aluminium head,
Due to the evaporative qualities of Ethanol, it is also possible that the innards of your engine could begin to rust.
There may be more issues this fuel could cause. Though as of right now, those are the ones I’m aware of. More information could be gained by any of you with close ties to people with these cars in any of the countries I mentioned near the start of this article. Since they’ve been living with it.
Owners of UK or JP spec MK2’s (not 2.5’s) are also most likely in the same boat as MK1 owners. MK2.5 owners may scrape by on E10, however, I would personally brand you guys as also having the same issue as MK1 and MK2 owners. MK3/3.5/3.75 owners are most likely okay. MK4 owners needn’t worry. But please try to ascertain this information in the coming months. Since as of right now, there is no answer for you MK3/3.5/3.75 owners. Or at least, I couldn’t find any. The same applies really to all of us par the MK1 community. Given the similarities between the MK1, MK2 and MK2.5 engine wise. I am confident in saying all of these models are affected by E10. Though VVT models may be unaffected. On that I cannot say for sure. However, I would advise you all, part MK4 owners, to try to avoid E10. MK1/2 owners, avoid forever. 1.8 MK2.5’s, avoid until there is information available. MK3/3.5/3.75 owners, avoid until information is available.
All that being said. Please consult the ACEA’s PDF...
ACEA_E10_compatibility.pdf- (167.88 KiB) Downloaded 200 times
I believe this should cover most the uncertainty around E10. Even with just one question. The rest have been answered in the details about E10. However, should you have any more. Please get in touch, but before you do, check out the following links that were helpful to me in understanding E10 and with the creation of this article:
Fuelling a greener future: E10 petrol set for September 2021 launch - GOV.UK (http://www.gov.uk)
E10 petrol explained - GOV.UK (http://www.gov.uk)
What is E10 fuel and how will it affect you? | RAC Drive
If you are unsure about anything mentioned here, or in those other articles, then please do get in touch and ask any question you like. We will aim to help you understand.
Article by JDM Junkie...
