E10 Petrol – The Ultimate Guide To The E10 Fuel Change 2021

The technician came all the way to Birmingham to do the remap. Gave him the keys and one hour later he gave me a ring (inside my work), and all done. My Jag runs brilliantly now.

Fantastic customer service from start to finish and very pleased with the results. Thank you to Jason who came to my home to complete the work who was very efficient

Excellent service from Lee and the team, high recommended and excellent value for money. Over the moon with the new power improvements 😁

July 7, 2022

Guide To The Introduction Of E10 Fuel (Petrol)

The petrol we have been using in the UK for many years now is changing from E5 to E10, but many people are not sure what the difference is, so we thought we’d create a complete guide to the change & explain what it is & what it means to you & your vehicle.

We’ve broken it down into sections, so if you’re watching this video on YouTube, you can skip to any of the sections listed in the description below to get to the part you’re interested in.

What Is E10 Petrol?

The E refers to ethanol, or to be more precise, Bioethanol, and the 10 refers to the percentage of the Bioethanol added to the fuel.

We were previously using E5, which was obviously 5% Bioethanol that was added into the petrol, but from September 2021, this will be increased to 10% Bioethanol

Why Have They Introduced E10 Into The UK?

Because Bioethanol is an alcohol-based renewable energy source and is produced from crops such as grain & sugar cane, producing & using it has a lower impact on the environment, and so reduces the carbon emissions from petrol vehicles.

Increasing the Bioethanol content of petrol from 5% to 10% could reduce CO2 emissions by 750,000 tonnes per year, which is the equivalent of taking up to 350,000 cars off the road in the UK.(Source: Gov.co.uk).

This is 1 of the initiatives the UK government is introducing to reduce emissions & greenhouse gasses.

Will Your Vehicle Run OK On E10

E10 petrol has been used in America, Australia, and across Continental Europe for quite some time, and so vehicles manufactured from 2011 onwards have been designed to run on this fuel.

So if your vehicle is from 2011 onwards, you should have no problems, but the government has created a website where you can check your vehicle to make sure.

If your vehicle is older than 2011 it may still be fine to run on E10, but you can check it on the government’s website https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-e10-petrol to be sure.

But if it’s not able to run on the higher Bioethanol content, don’t panic, there are alternatives which we’ll explain shortly.

If you own an older classic car, a trusted friend of ours who restores classic cars has written an excellent post on this subject which you can find at https://projectshop.co.uk/e10-fuel/ , along with some great photos of some lovely classic motors.

Will Using E10 Mean The Engine Needs Re-Tuning?

No, not in vehicles with electronic engine management systems.

Because of the sensors all over the vehicle which monitor what’s happening with air & fuel intake as well as exhaust gasses, the engine management system will make the adjustments necessary when using the new E10 fuel.

If your vehicle does not have an electronic management system, it would be worth contacting your local specialist for your brand & discussing it with them. You could also check the Gov website at https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-e10-petrol

Will Using E10 Mean The Engine Needs Re-Tuning?

Because Bioethanol does not burn as efficiently & create the same levels of energy as petrol (it’s estimated to be 33% lower than petrol), as there’s only going to be an additional 5% of it in the fuel, this will have a small impact on the performance and economy of your vehicle.

Because Bioethanol does not burn as efficiently & create the same levels of energy as petrol (it’s estimated to be 33% lower than petrDifferent experts expect fuel economy to reduce by between 1% and 3% depending on which one you listen to, and this is as a result of the slightly reduced efficiency of the new blended fuel.

As you can imagine, this will also have a similar effect on power & performance because of the reduced efficiency, although the difference is likely to be barely noticeable in most vehicles.ol), as there’s only going to be an additional 5% of it in the fuel, this will have a small impact on the performance and economy of your vehicle.

Are There Alternatives To Using E10?

Yes! Whilst the standard petrol that will be supplied at all filling stations from September 2021 onwards will be E10 grade, many will still also supply E5 in the form of super-unleaded petrol, such as Shell’s V Power. BP’s Ultimate & Tesco’s 99 Momentum fuels.

This can be used if your vehicle is not compatible with the new E10 petrol, and can also be mixed with E10 if necessary or if you wanted to ‘boost’ the E10 already in your tank, with no adverse effects.