A new type of petrol brought in to meet EU regulations could cost fleets and motorists billions of pounds a year, whilst also increasing CO2 exhaust emissions. Since Government announcements to bring in the E10 fuel later this year, consumer magazine What Car? has discovered that the fuel, which contains 10 per cent bio-ethanol, is less efficient in comparison to the current E5 blend (up to 5% bio-ethanol). This change will mean that for motorists filling up, trips to the petrol station will happen more often than previously. The tests What Car? carried out took place on engines across the spectrum and showed similar results each time. What Car? even went as far as to call the introduction 'irresponsibleî as until their tests, the fuel has only been tested in laboratory conditions, with potential impacts on fuel economy not communicated to motorists. The introduction of E10 to the UK comes after the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated the detrimental effect of E10 on the US fuel economy has been between three and four percent. Editor-in-chief of the magazine, Chas Hallett, said that "to lead consumers into E10 without fully communicating the significant impact on fuel economy, particularly for drivers least able to absorb the extra costs, is irresponsible." The tests carried out by What Car? put E10 against E0, 'pure' petrol, so there could be a direct comparison between these results with the US EPAs. The cars used in the tests were a three-cylinder turbo (Dacia Sandero), a naturally aspirated car (Hyundai i30), a hybrid (Toyota Prius+) and a four-cylinder turbo (Mini Paceman). The three-cylinder turbo performed the worst, returning an 11.5 per cent drop in economy. The 99bhp i30 was almost as bad, managing 9.8 per cent less miles on E10.
