RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “Everybody agrees
that steps must be taken to reduce emissions from road transport,
however introducing E10 as the standard petrol will pose some
challenges. Firstly, as the RAC Foundation points out, there
could be as many as 600,000 vehicles on our roads that aren’t
compatible with the fuel. Many of these are likely to be owned by
those from lower income backgrounds and while it is welcome that
E5 petrol is not being phased out altogether, owners of these
vehicles will face higher fuel costs – and will also have to hunt
out those forecourts that still sell E5. Some retailers will also
not have the capacity to be able to provide both E5 and E10 fuels
on forecourts, so the impact is likely to be most keenly felt by
those with incompatible vehicles in rural areas.
“It is also vital that owners of affected vehicles are
aware of the changes. We’d like to see the DVLA writing to these
owners to inform them that E5 will no longer be the standard
premium grade, and to let them know their options. This,
alongside a trusted online resource where drivers can quickly
identify if their vehicles are E10 compatible or not, will go a
long way to avoiding any expensive problems from filling up
wrongly with the new blend.
“For the overwhelming majority of drivers with compatible
vehicles, the introduction of E10 petrol will make little
difference other than a possible slight reduction in fuel
economy.”
