Motorists have been warned that E10 petrol may not be compatible with their vehicle, leading to possible damage.
While there are plans to make E10 the standard grade in all fuel stations in the UK, drivers should first check that their vehicle can take the petrol.
According to the RAC, there are around 600,000 older vehicles that should not use E10 and should instead continue to use the older E5 petrol.
This comes as around 150,000 motorists have been found to put wrong 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 car and scrappage 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 also advised drivers that prevention is always better than a cure, so drivers should double-check what fuel they can use in their cars.
Dave Rossall, NFU Mutual’s Motor Claims Manager, echoed Mr Potter’s comments and urged drivers to check their compatibility with E10 before visiting a petrol station.
He 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.”
Putting petrol into a diesel car by mistake is easier than vice versa because the pump nozzle will fit into the wider filler neck of a diesel. Putting diesel into a petrol tank is more challenging but not impossible.
When arriving at the filling station forecourt, drivers should not rely on the colour of the pump but instead, make sure the correct fuel is used by checking the information on or near the nozzle. Also, motorists could put an alert sticker inside the fuel flap to provide one last opportunity to check that all is well.
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