E10 petrol will be introduced from September 2021, which has been hailed as a major step towards decarbonising existing cars in the UK.
Almost all petrol sold in the UK already contains some ethanol. Introducing E10 means this amount will increase so that up to 10% of the petrol will be renewable ethanol, made from sustainable crops or waste products.
There are over 19 million licensed petrol cars on the road, meaning E10 will cut greenhouse gas emissions from these vehicles by 750,000 tonnes – the equivalent of removing 350,000 cars from our roads.
Every new petrol car manufactured since 2011 is designed to use E10, and the vast majority since 2000, so over 95% of drivers can start using this fuel.
A small number of older vehicles, classic cars and motorbikes may not be compatible. For these, use the Government’s E10 vehicle checker at gov.uk/check-vehicle-e10-petrol
Dr Nina Skorupska CBE, the REA’s Chief Executive, said:
“At the REA we warmly welcome this announcement, having been working on behalf of the industry to deliver this for almost a decade now.
“With the recent announcement of the 2030 phase out date for sales of new Internal Combustion Engine cars and light vans, Government direction in this area is clear, but in the meantime there will be millions of traditional cars sold. We must act to reduce the emissions from these and we need those fuels to be as sustainable and low carbon as possible. Renewable transport fuels in the UK are sustainable, affordable, and immediately available, are essential to our low-carbon future
“Following this announcement, the industry will be looking forward to the forthcoming RTFO consultation which is critical and should be released as soon as possible, and working to maximise the contribution of sustainable fuels.”
