Tests show that older vehicles are not damaged in any way by using a new petrol blend with a higher 20% of ethanol, Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday (August 6, 2025), blaming the social media outrage against the new E20 blend on a “political conspiracy”, possibly fuelled by petrol lobbies.
Speaking at The Hindu Mind event, a conversation series in the national capital, Mr. Gadkari emphasised that making the switch to bio fuels helps put the country on the path to self reliance by cutting oil imports, and also reduces pollution and saves farmers lives by ensuring they receive higher value for their crops.
Understanding ethanol blending
While new E20-tuned vehicles have started rolling out from April 2025, existing owners are concerned about the impact on their older vehicles and a surge in maintenance costs. “Pune-based Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) has tested old vehicles on a total distance of one lakh kilometres and not found any problems,” the Minister said.
Reduced import costs, pollution
