4 min readNew DelhiJul 7, 2026 03:35 PM IST
First published on: Jun 7, 2026 at 09:08 PM IST
Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday (June 5) launched the “E85 fuel” at a retail fuel outlet in New Delhi. E85 is a high-ethanol blended fuel comprising 80-85% ethanol and 14-19% petrol, specifically designed for use in flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs).
The initiative came a day after the Minister was also present at the launch of India’s first passenger FFV in the national capital. FFVs can operate on a range of ethanol-petrol blends, from E20 (wherein ethanol constitutes 20% of blended fuel) up to E100, without restricting consumers to a single blend.
Here’s what to know about E85, the other types of fuel used in Indian automobiles, and what you need to check before refilling your tank.
E85: Economics, environmental impact
According to a Press Information Bureau (PIB) statement, E85 is priced nearly Rs 20 per litre lower than conventional petrol. This was to ensure that the economic benefits of domestically produced ethanol are passed on to consumers.
Also, FFVs operating on E85 can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by around 61% compared with conventional petrol vehicles. NITI Aayog also classifies ethanol-based FFVs, including vehicles running on high ethanol blends such as E85, as zero-emission vehicles. E85 fuel also produces near-zero particulate matter emissions, making FFVs a promising solution for addressing the country’s growing air pollution challenge, according to a PIB statement.
E85 vs other fossil fuels
Currently, passenger vehicles in India mostly run on petrol, diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), and ethanol-blended petrol. Other fuels available or considered viable are liquified petroleum gas (LPG) and bio-diesel, though they aren’t common.
Puri cited the example of Brazil having demonstrated the long-term viability of higher ethanol blends over decades, with over 80% of its light vehicle fleet currently operating on flex-fuel technology.
He also said that since E20 became the standard fuel across India, no case of engine failure or vehicle breakdown attributable to ethanol blending had been reported. He added that FFVs remain highly competitive with electric vehicles owing to their lower acquisition costs and ability to leverage existing fuel infrastructure.
Can you fill your tank with E85?
Only if it is an FFV. Puri said during the launch that E85 fuel is meant exclusively for specially designed FFVs, not for normal petrol vehicles.
The Minister also added that the government’s proposed roadmap intended to create a nationwide flex-fuel ecosystem, wherein E85 has been identified as the mono-fuel standard for FFVs.
As to what this means for passenger vehicles currently plying on Indian roads, Puri said: “Your E20 vehicle will run for a long time… E20 and E85 are fuels from two different categories, designed for different types of vehicles. The arrival of E85 by no means implies that E20 or petrol vehicles will be discontinued. E85 dispensers will display big boards with the message ‘E85-compliant cars only’.”
Rollout of E85
The PIB statement noted that the rollout will commence across 48 retail outlets of India’s public sector oil marketing companies. This would be scaled up to 500 outlets by December 2026 and about 5,000 by December 2027, which would help raise India’s aggregate ethanol blending levels to nearly 26% by 2030-31.
Puri said that ethanol blending has increased from 1.53% in 2014 to 20% as of today, with the target achieved five years ahead of schedule. He added that this had helped save over ₹1.84 lakh crore in foreign exchange and substituted nearly 302 lakh metric tonnes of crude oil imports.
Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri during the launch of E85 fuel in New Delhi on June 5, 2026. Photo: ANI/Naveen Sharma 
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