Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to provide consumers the choice to choose between pure petrol and ethanol-blended fuel at petrol pumps.

The former Delhi chief minister also sought an appointment with Modi to discuss concerns about E20 petrol, or a fuel blend that consists of 20% ethanol and 80% petrol.

In his letter, Kejriwal said that there is no “logical, scientific, engineering or economic argument” that justifies the government's decision to “impose E20 petrol on vehicles”.

The Union government’s Ethanol Blended Petrol programme currently mandates the sale of petrol blended with 20% ethanol. India hit its target of reaching a 20% ethanol mix in petrol in July 2025, five years ahead of schedule.

The government maintains that blending ethanol with petrol is part of India’s broader energy transition strategy aimed at reducing dependency on fossil fuels, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and boosting income for sugarcane farmers.

The Aam Aadmi Party leader on Monday urged the Centre to implement two measures: “provide consumers the choice between pure petrol and E20 at fuel stations and reduce the price of E20 petrol”. He said that the reduced price should reflect the “lower calorific value and reduced mileage” E20 petrol delivers, so that citizens are not paying full price for a “compromised product”.

He said the Aam Aadmi Party has launched an online petition inviting citizens to share their experiences with E20 petrol, particularly its impact on mileage and any other issues they may have faced.

Consumer concerns

Consumers have complained that the new fuel mix damages engines and reduces their mileage.

An opinion poll by LocalCircles published on July 5 showed that 53% of the surveyed petrol vehicle owners said that they believe that the government’s handling of the E20 rollout was “disastrous” or “ineffective”.

Sixty-six percent of the respondents said that they were experiencing a more than 10% drop in mileage with E20. Forty-five percent of the surveyed users said that their cars had suffered a moderate to major increase in wear and tear, or needed repairs, according to the polling conducted in June.

On July 10, the Centre said that E20 petrol is “cleaner and superior” than fuel variants that do not have ethanol blended in them.

The quality, safety and compatibility of petrol blended with 20% ethanol had been validated by automobile manufacturers, testing and homologation agencies, oil marketing companies, and regulatory authorities, said the Ministry of Petroleum.

Written by Anamika Pathak. Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.