Not the best timing as the UK economy is going through precarious times. UK motorists have been issued with two E10 warnings as fuel prices have increased yet again, so now diesel is 10p more expensive per litre than unleaded petrol.
Motoring experts have warned UK motorists that the newly introduced E10 is less fuel efficient compared to the E5 petrol. This analysis comes as petrol and diesel prices have risen slightly at the pumps.
RAC Fuel Watch
According to the RAC Fuel Watch, on average, drivers will now have to pay 163.26p per litre of unleaded and a skyrocketing 184.49p per litre of diesel fuel. The RAC Fuel Watch went on to say, while the price of petrol has risen further in the past few days, it’s expected to stabilise for the next few months or so, hopefully. Unfortunately, this is not the case for the price of diesel, which has been forecasted by analysis to continue rising.
This means thousands of drivers across the country will be looking for ways to save money on petrol, hence why a motoring expert has issued a warning to motorists about the efficiency of E10 petrol.
National Scrap Car
Dorry Potter who is the car and scrappage expert at National Scrap Car, stated, “where E5 is 95 per cent unleaded petrol and five per cent ethanol, E10 is 90 per cent unleaded petrol and 10 per cent ethanol. “Ethanol is made during the fermentation process of some crops such as sugarcane and grain; this means it is more sustainable fuel as it is coming from a renewable source.
“This greener fuel is also estimated to reduce CO2 emissions by 750,000 tonnes per year, which is the equivalent of taking up 350,000 cars off the road.”
As it stands, this is bad news for drivers, with the current cost of living crisis not yet showing signs of improvement or recovery but as always, this won’t last forever.
Ms Potter continued to state: “There are two issues with this fuel though. The first is that not all cars are compatible with it, meaning that if someone was to absentmindedly put this fuel in a non-compatible vehicle it is likely to cause damage.
“The Government has a tool on their website which helps motorists check whether their car is able to have E10.
“Secondly, E10 is less efficient for motorists, due to the higher ethanol content, drivers will get fewer miles per gallon than with E5, meaning more trips to the pumps and money coming out of wallets.”
The best advice, as stated by NFU Mutual, is that prevention is always better than a cure, so check what fuel road users can use in their cars.
NFU Mutual’s Motor Claims Manager, Dave Rossall also added a statement to echo what Dorry Potter said, and urged drivers to first check their vehicle compatibility with E10 before taking a visit to a fuelling station.
He went on to say; “Putting the wrong fuel into a vehicle is comparatively easy to do, so it should be reassuring to know that there is insurance cover in place.
“Expert opinion varies but putting E10 petrol into an older petrol-driven vehicle once should be OK, but it’s not recommended to repeatedly make that mistake because it could cause damage. However, putting diesel into a petrol tank is more challenging but not impossible.
Drivers should be aware of pumps when they arrive at a filling station to not go by the colour of the pump but instead double-check that the correct fuel is used just by checking the coding on or near the actual fuel pump. A great tip would be to attach an alert sticker on the inside of the fuel flap which will be the last chance reminder to check you’re inserting the right type of fuel inside your vehicle.
Fuel saving techniques
- Remove excess luggage from your vehicle
- Ensure all tyres are inflated to the manufacturer’s recommended pressure
- Be gentle with the accelerator
- Keep windows closed in the car whilst driving
- Avoid engine idling
- Try to shop around for the cheapest fuel
Another option to save money on fuel
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