Government to make E5 fuel available for classic owners

The Government has confirmed that it will continue to make fuel containing 5% bioethanol available for owners of historic vehicles. It’s good news for classic car owners, who feared that they would be forced to use fuel containing 10% bioethanol, which can be harmful to older vehicles. 

The news comes after Ministers announced plans to introduce E10 at all pumps in a in a bid to meet its tough environmental targets. The move instantly sparked panic among owners who feared they would need to spend thousands of pounds getting their cars ready for the new fuel.

But Sir Greg Knight MP asked the secretary of state to clarify the Government position. The Conservative MP for East Yorkshire wrote to the secretary of state for transport to as asked what assessment the Government had made of the potential effect of the use of E10 fuel on older vehicles. 

Rachel Maclean, parliamentary under-secretary at the Department for Transport, said that increasing the share of bioethanol in petrol by blending up to 10%, known as E10, could provide significant carbon savings, helping the Government meet its climate change commitments. 

But she acknowledged that one of the main barriers to introducing E10 has been vehicle compatibility. Currently estimates suggest around 95% of petrol cars used in the UK can use E10, but around 700,000 are not warranted by their manufacturers to use E10. 

Maclean said this number was expected to decrease as vehicles come to the end of their life. ‘However,’ she said, ‘some classic and cherished vehicles that are not advised to use E10 will remain in use. The prolonged use of E10 fuel in those older and classic vehicles not under manufacturer warranty can cause corrosion of some rubbers and alloys used in the engine and fuel systems. 

‘For those vehicles, the department remains committed to ensuring that E5 is retained as a protection grade, if E10 is introduced.’