Some older models from Ford, Nissan and Volkswagen are incompatible with the new E10 petrol.
As mentioned above, all vehicles made after 2010 can run on E10 fuel and the majority of cars built between 2002 and 2010 will also be compatible. However, there are some exceptions, including certain models from brands like Ford, Renault, Toyota, Lexus, Volkswagen, Audi and Mercedes.
Most petrol vehicles built after 2000 are compatible with E10. If your car is E10 compatible you can replace your unleaded petrol with E10 when you fill up. It's ok to switch back and forth between E10 and other unleaded fuel types, where your manufacturer has advised these fuels are suitable for your vehicle.
E10 petrol is compatible with almost all (95%)1 petrol-powered vehicles on the road today, including all cars built since 2011.
Anyone owning a car made before 2002 is advised not to use E10 – and it can even affect cars made up until 2011. That's a good number of so-called modern classic cars, in addition to classic models.
If your car runs an Octane Rating of 91 (most petrol cars use this), then E10 fuel is interchangeable with your regular petrol. Cars that use premium fuels (with an octane rating of 95 or 98) are better off with that running through their engines, as they're tuned to require high efficiencies from the fuel system.
Most, but not all, modern cars can use E10, so it's important you check first before filling up with E10 fuel. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries says some E10 unleaded petrol blends are marketed as 94 RON. That means they do not meet the fuel standards for cars recommended to use 95 or 98 premium fuels.
Super-unleaded fuel is mostly used by performance cars but is fine for any petrol car, unlike the new E10 fuel. When you pull up at the petrol station you're often faced with two types of petrol: unleaded and super-unleaded.
What happens if you mix 98 and 95? Mixing premium unleaded (95) and super unleaded (97/98) evenly in your tank will give you a mixed-grade petrol of a roughly 96 octane rating number. While this is unlikely to cause major damage to your car, the RAC recommends sticking to the octane recommended for your vehicle.
Long term car storage in the E10 age
Designed by the Anglo-American Oil Company to be stable for at least three years, this special storage fuel does not contain ethanol and will not absorb water.
This is often on a sticker under the fuel flap, but you may need to check the owners manual. If the minimum RON is at or below 94 then you could consider using E10. Many European, turbocharged or performance vehicles require a minimum RON of 95 or 98, so E10 should not be used for these.
E10 is a blend of regular unleaded (RON 91) petrol and between 9% and 10% ethanol. Blending the ethanol at this ratio increases the RON to 94.
If your vehicle is compatible with E10 petrol, there's no reason you can't mix the 2 grades of petrol (E5 97+ and E10 95+). It's perfectly safe to mix them in the same tank or fill up with E5 if E10 is not available.
Therefore, if your classic is not used for a while, it is advisable to refuel a premium gasoline with the lowest possible alcohol content (Super 98, V-Power, Excellium, etc.). Some suppliers are offering additives for E10, specially designed to counteract the harmful effects on our classics.
One of the areas that E10 can have a negative impact is in your fuel systems' seals and gaskets. These are often made of rubber on older vehicles, a material than Ethanol will degrade much faster than petrol.
Is your vehicle E10 compatible? Simply enter your vehicle details below and click on "Check compatibility". Please note that E10 compatibility database only includes petrol vehicles manufactured after 2000 where the manufacturer provides information about the vehicle's compatibility with ethanol blended fuel.
If, for example, your car says 'premium 95', then it is not recommended to use unleaded 91, as doing so can cause engine knocking and potentially engine failure. This isn't guaranteed to happen of course, but you will probably experience a loss of power, acceleration and fuel economy over time.
Fuels such as 95 or 98 RON (octane rating number) have a higher resistance to burn which indicates higher levels of energy available for the vehicle's engine.
Many cars will print an advisory label on the inside of the fuel filler cap that notes the minimum fuel quality required by the engine, and while it's not recommended to go lower, is there any risk to going higher? Bottom line, no. There is no risk when putting higher-octane fuel in your petrol car.
Though you might assume that this sort of mistake could cause major issues, it's quite the opposite. If you accidentally put premium fuel into your regular gas car, nothing significant will happen.
The higher octane rating of super unleaded works well with high-performance engines as it can have a greater effect on the amount of available power. This is because engine pressures and temperatures are greater, so it can be used to increase the amount of horsepower and push up performance.
If you put lower-octane fuel into your high-octane vehicle, whether by mistake or to save money on gas, you'll probably notice the effects right away: things like poor fuel economy, reduced acceleration, and spark knock, which sounds like a high-pitched pinging or rattling noise.
Shell Unleaded E10, which contains up to 10% ethanol, has a minimum 94 octane rating.
bp Ultimate Unleaded is our most advanced performance petrol with a minimum octane number of 98 and an innovative formulation that cleans away the harmful dirt in your engine and helps stop it coming back.