Drivers have been issued an important warning regarding petrol that may not be compatible with their motor.
As plans are now in place to make the E10 petrol the standard fuel across petrol stations in the UK, drivers need to check that their car is able to take the fuel. As reported by the Daily Record, the RAC has stated that there are approximately 600,000 vehicles in the UK that cannot take the E10 fuel.
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They should stick to the E5 fuel, or risk damaging their cars engine system. This news comes as around 150,000 road users have been found to be putting the incorrect fuel into their cars each year, according to the AA.
Dorry Potter, of National Scrap Car, told the Express : “The biggest benefit of E10 over E5 is that it is better for the environment.
“Where E5 is 95 percent unleaded petrol and five percent ethanol, E10 is 90 percent unleaded petrol and 10 percent ethanol.
“Ethanol is made during the fermentation process of some crops such as sugarcane and grain, this means it is a more sustainable fuel as it is coming from a renewable source.
“This greener fuel is also estimated to reduce CO2 emissions by 750,000 tonnes per year, which is the equivalent of taking up to 350,000 cars off the road.”
The expert added: "There are two issues with this fuel though. The first is that not all cars are compatible with it meaning that if someone was to absentmindedly put this fuel in a non-compatible car it is likely to cause damage.
“The Government has a tool on their website which helps motorists check whether their car is able to have E10. Secondly, E10 is less efficient for motorists, due to the higher ethanol content drivers will get fewer miles per gallon than with E5, meaning more trips to the pumps and more money coming out of wallets.
“Not something anyone needs with fuel prices still being high and the cost of living crisis.”
NFU Mutual has also advised drivers that prevention is easier than curing, so they should continue to double check their fuel compatibility.
Dave Rossall, NFU Mutual’s Motor Claims Manager, urged drivers to check their compatibility with E10 before visiting a petrol station. Dave said: "Putting the wrong fuel into a vehicle is comparatively easy to do so it should be reassuring to know that there is insurance cover in place.
“Expert opinion varies but putting E10 petrol into an older petrol driven vehicle once should be OK, but it’s not recommended to repeatedly make that mistake because it could cause damage.
“Putting E10 petrol into a diesel vehicle will definitely spell trouble.”
Easy ways to check you are putting the right fuel in include:
- Check the information on the nozzle with the alert inside the majority of car's fuel pumps
- Check the colours of the fuel pumps - green for petrol, and black for diesel, typically
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