E10 fuel, my experience so far.

[Blatto]

I do the same journey into work each day about a 70 mile round trip (2019 ST-Line 140), plus a few trips out to shops at the weekend.

It's fairly consistent at around 380 miles per week. During the summer months I get around 53mpg +/- 2mpg, measured with the brim to brim method.

Since I owned the car I have been using the standard E5 unleaded fuel for those figures.

I did experiment with a month of fill ups with Shell V Power but didn't notice any difference.

About 3 weeks ago my local supermarket station changed over to E10 (there was no real indication they had done this apart from a small 4inch square sicker on the pump) Since then I have been using the E10 fuel for the same journeys and in the same weather conditions i.e 18-23C (a typical British summer)

I have now measured 48mpg over the last 3 weeks so around about 10% less, I haven't noticed any difference in performance but then again I'm just doing mainly motorway journeys so cruising at about 70 (ish) 😉

For the rest of this month I'm switching over to the super unleaded which is still E5. I'll report back with my findings.

 

[Jimpster]

Mine seems to be doing less, thought i was imagining things. I dont measure precisely generally yellow light to yellow light and allow for price fluctuations. I use Asda fuel as thier one of the few stations round here that dont rip £100 out your bank then payback when they can be a**ed.

[Tiexen]

18 minutes ago, Blatto said:

I do the same journey into work each day about a 70 mile round trip (2019 ST-Line 140), plus a few trips out to shops at the weekend.

It's fairly consistent at around 380 miles per week. During the summer months I get around 53mpg +/- 2mpg, measured with the brim to brim method.

Since I owned the car I have been using the standard E5 unleaded fuel for those figures.

I did experiment with a month of fill ups with Shell V Power but didn't notice any difference.

About 3 weeks ago my local supermarket station changed over to E10 (there was no real indication they had done this apart from a small 4inch square sicker on the pump) Since then I have been using the E10 fuel for the same journeys and in the same weather conditions i.e 18-23C (a typical British summer)

I have now measured 48mpg over the last 3 weeks so around about 10% less, I haven't noticed any difference in performance but then again I'm just doing mainly motorway journeys so cruising at about 70 (ish) 😉

For the rest of this month I'm switching over to the super unleaded which is still E5. I'll report back with my findings.

 

I don't think E10 is available until after today, they just put the stickers on early - i'd repeat your test later in the year.

[Blatto]

No it was officially announced today but it has been E10 for the last 3 weeks at my local station.

I did a test of the fuel to be sure as I have a Briggs and stratton petrol lawn mower and I emailed them to ask if it was ok to run on E10 and they said no.

I'd just filled up my petrol can when I'd realised it was showing as E10 on the pump so I tested it to be sure. 

If you have a measuring cylinder and some coloured food dye and mix with a measured amount of water you can find out the %

 

I'll see what I get after going over to E5 super unleaded, assuming I get similar ambient temps for the rest of the month.

If it gets below 15C it won't be a good comparison.

 

 

 

[alexp999]

Comparing Super E5 to regular E10 is not a fair comparison.

The higher octane rating of the Super will allow the car to advance timing due to the fuel's better resistance to knock and means you will see an MPG improvement, just from the higher octane rating.

Ethanol has about 1/3rd less energy by same volume of petrol. So 5% extra ethanol should at worst cause a 1.67% drop in economy at the same octane rating.

[Blatto]

True, it's not a fair comparison in that respect but as I have already done a comparison with the old E5 fuel and the higher octane Shell V power in the past, I didn't see any improvement with the higher octane fuel there for my types of journey.

I would guess that any improvements in fuel economy from better knock resistance would only be obvious if I was pushing the engine hard into the area where knocking would be an issue. My daily commute is done in a normal paced run rarely going over 3000 rpm.

 

 

[ris001]

E10 was not on sale during August.

Pump stickers were changed progressively during August to be ready for 1st September.

It will be very difficult for consumers to make comparisons. E10 is available from today it depends on when fuel stations get their new deliveries.

Also beware that E10 means upto 10% ethanol, which is why the E10 stickers were valid when displayed in August!

[Eric Bloodaxe]

2 hours ago, Blatto said:

No it was officially announced today but it has been E10 for the last 3 weeks at my local station.

Yes, it's compulsory from 1 September in England, Scotland and Wales, date for Northern Ireland yet to be confirmed, but early next year, I believe.

Stations near me have also had E10 stickers on the 95 pumps for several weeks - whether it really is E10 or they just got ready with the stickers there's no way to tell. I understand it's ok to use up any existing stock, as long as next delivery after 1 September is E10 so stations with a low turnover may take a few weeks to go E10.

I actually did my first fill with fuel labelled E10 yesterday at the local Tesco. It only reopened a few days ago after being shut for over 3 months while the tanks were dug up and replaced, so I guess the new stock probably is E10. It was Hobsons Choice anyway as all the E5 Momentum pumps were still out of use! 

Whatever, the computer is showing 49mpg after 50 miles which is about normal, the computer figure is always about 3/4 mpg more than true mpg calculated by the brim to brim method, so about 45 overall usually.

 

 

 

[ris001]

You could find yourself an Esso station ... their premium fuel is E0, even though they are required to put an E5 sticker on the pump.

Quote from Esso

"Although our pumps have E5 labels on them, our Synergy Supreme⁺ 99 is actually ethanol free (except, due to technical supply reasons, in Devon, Cornwall, North Wales, North England and Scotland). Legislation requires us to place these E5 labels on pumps that dispense unleaded petrol with ‘up to 5% ethanol’, including those that contain no ethanol, which is why we display them on our Synergy Supreme⁺ 99 pumps"

[Chinadoll]

So just to clarify, I have a 67 plate 1Ltr Fiesta Titanium ecoboost, my question is does the new E10 fuel work, as I'm getting a lot of mixed messages stating it might work with some engines, and it might not work, there's no definitive clarification that has actually been announced, only masses of speculation, and quite frankly this is doing my head in, also seems like a lot of scare mongering if you take notice of social media and such like. 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

 

10 minutes ago, Chinadoll said:

So just to clarify, I have a 67 plate 1Ltr Fiesta Titanium ecoboost, my question is does the new E10 fuel work, as I'm getting a lot of mixed messages stating it might work with some engines, and it might not work, there's no definitive clarification that has actually been announced, only masses of speculation, and quite frankly this is doing my head in, also seems like a lot of scare mongering if you take notice of social media and such like. 

Yes, your vehicle is compatible with E10 fuel according to the compatibility checker on Gov.Uk, and Ford themselves.

Ford

E10 is cleared for use in all petrol driven Ford models sold in Europe since 1992 excluding:

• Ford Mondeo 1.8 SCI from 2003 to 2007.This model and Ford models sold before 1992 should continue to use E5.

Personal imports not approved by Ford of Europe are not included in the above statements.

 

[Chinadoll]

5 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

 

Yes, your vehicle is compatible with E10 fuel according to the compatibility checker on Gov.Uk, and Ford themselves.

Ford

E10 is cleared for use in all petrol driven Ford models sold in Europe since 1992 excluding:

• Ford Mondeo 1.8 SCI from 2003 to 2007.This model and Ford models sold before 1992 should continue to use E5.

Personal imports not approved by Ford of Europe are not included in the above statements.

 

Nice one fella, all this talk of E10 fuel is a massive headache, but thanks for clearing that up 👌👍👍👍

👍

[Eric Bloodaxe]

27 minutes ago, Chinadoll said:

Nice one fella, all this talk of E10 fuel is a massive headache, but thanks for clearing that up 👌👍👍👍

👍

You're welcome. If you wanted a bit more background, sources like these are more reliable than social media:

 

https://theconversation.com/the-new-e10-petrol-will-it-bring-benefits-167095

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/emissions/what-is-e10-fuel-and-how-could-it-affect-you/

https://www.theaa.com/driving-advice/fuels-environment/introduction-of-e-10-petrol-in-the-uk

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/e10-petrol-explained

[Chinadoll]

Brilliant thank you, don't get me wrong I don't believe what is written on social media, just because it's on there doesn't make it correct, it's just that messages keep popping up on my time lines and Google etc, and it just drives you crazy, and that's when you start 2nd guessing, but I'll have a look at those links 👌👌👌👌👌

[isetta]

I have some old motorcycles over 40 years old. Much debate about what happens if I use e10 in them. Some people saying that the ethanol will damage the rubber parts in carb etc as those parts were not designed to resist the chemical formulation of e10.  Also talk of it being hygroscopic so more likely to have corrosion problems in carb,  fuel tank. I don’t know if this will be a real problem or more theoretical

[Ian Lanc]

To behonest I've noticed a considerable drop in my MPG, I reckon it's all a con to get more revenue out the tax payer.

[Jim H]

14 minutes ago, isetta said:

I have some old motorcycles over 40 years old. Much debate about what happens if I use e10 in them. Some people saying that the ethanol will damage the rubber parts in carb etc as those parts were not designed to resist the chemical formulation of e10.  Also talk of it being hygroscopic so more likely to have corrosion problems in carb,  fuel tank. I don’t know if this will be a real problem or more theoretical

 

If you are worried about E10, you can either use Super unleaded, or use additives every time you fill up. Millers and other companies make them. This one combats the effects of extra ethanol: https://www.millersoils.co.uk/products/eps/ I don't know if they will make a multi-shot bottle to save using one bottle every fill.

If your car/bile needs 4* (leaded), then lead replacement additives can also have ethanol additive combined. https://www.millersoils.co.uk/products/vspe-power-plus-multi-shot/

[jace1969]

Saying that i went to Morrisons last week and just pick up the pump and fill up (pay by card at pump) and im sure it was E10 on the pump label.

Can you mix the 2 say they still have E5 and the Garage fills their tanks up can they put E10 in if there is a small amount of E5 in.

And can we do it in our cars,top it up with E10 if your car ain't empty as i never leave mine run low.

[pcaouolte]

Yes you can mix the two in your tank and the garages can mix it in theirs. You might end up with E7.5 or similar (somewhere between E5 and E10). As long as you have 10% Ethanol or less it will be ok provided that your car can run on E10.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

22 hours ago, Ian Lanc said:

To behonest I've noticed a considerable drop in my MPG, I reckon it's all a con to get more revenue out the tax payer.

Given that we are not really sure exactly whether E10 started to be sold slightly in advance of 1 September or not, and that there'll be residual stocks for a few weeks in stations with low turnover, it might be a bit soon to make comparisons.

It would be certainly be useful though if we could all take note of our mpg as experience of E10 builds and report our findings over the coming weeks and months.

 

[TomsFocus]

2 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

It would be certainly be useful though if we could all take note of our mpg as experience of E10 builds and report our findings over the coming weeks and months.

Just as the weather gets colder...   It'll only work for those of us sad enough to have kept MPG spreadsheets over a few years.  

[Eric Bloodaxe]

I noticed on the various tv news programmes there was a lot of coverage of E10 yesterday, with roving reporters talking to drivers as they filled up. Virtually no-one had a clue about E10, which corresponds to my experience of talking to friends, none of whom had heard of it either. Given that it's been mentioned for at least 3 years, it does demonstrate how hard it is to get any message across.

Just now, TomsFocus said:

Just as the weather gets colder...   It'll only work for those of us sad enough to have kept MPG spreadsheets over a few years.  

Like us, you mean!😀 Tbh, I don't see much difference with a modern petrol car - perhaps all those electrics are actually better at controlling cold starts than I used to be with the choke knob!😀

[Jimpster]

Maybe a silly question, all the forecourts that now have E10, did they drain ALL the fuel that was in the storage bunker before filling with the new stuff ???????????

[alexp999]

17 minutes ago, JImpster said:

Maybe a silly question, all the forecourts that now have E10, did they drain ALL the fuel that was in the storage bunker before filling with the new stuff ???????????

No it will just be mixed with what's left, so as above, you might get E7.5, if it was half emtpy, or some mix between 5% and 10% depending on the levels when it was refilled.

[cjay1]

For an e5 sticker to be on the pump ethanol content must be between 0% and 5% and e10 must be between 5.5% and 10% so if it says e10 on the pump that is what you will get.

Research suggests small turbo engines could see up to 11.5% less mpg compared to e0 so 10% reductions some are reporting could be accurate. If so it could be cost effective to use super unleaded.

Edited September 2, 2021 by cjay1
Corrected mpg loss