E85 Fuel Now Available in Mumbai at ₹91.18/Litre; Costs ₹20 Less Than E20 Petrol

At current prices, E85 is ₹20.03 per litre cheaper than E20 petrol in Mumbai, where E20 is retailing at ₹111.21 per litre. The fuel was first introduced in Delhi earlier this month and is now being rolled out in other major cities.

Key Highlights

• E85 fuel is priced at ₹91.18 per litre in Mumbai.

• It is ₹20.03 per litre cheaper than E20 petrol.

• Mumbai's E85 price is ₹9.06 per litre higher than Delhi's.

• The fuel can only be used in flex-fuel compatible vehicles.

E85 Fuel Meant Only for Flex-Fuel Vehicles

To help consumers identify it easily, E85 dispensing stations feature dedicated branding and separate fuel dispensers. However, E85 has a lower energy density than conventional petrol blends, which means vehicles may consume more fuel to travel the same distance.

In a real-world mileage test conducted on a Suzuki Gixxer SF 250, fuel efficiency dropped by 24.4 percent when running on E85 compared to E20 petrol.

Clarifying concerns about compatibility, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri stated that E85 fuel is exclusively intended for flex-fuel vehicles and should not be used in standard E20-compatible vehicles. He also emphasized that the introduction of E85 does not signal the discontinuation of petrol or E20 fuel.

Nationwide Expansion Planned

The government aims to establish around 5,000 E85 fuel stations across India by the end of 2027. As part of the initial rollout, approximately 50 to 100 E85 outlets are expected to become operational along the Delhi-NCR and Mumbai–Pune–Nagpur corridors by the end of 2026.

E85-Compatible Vehicles in India

Currently, only a handful of vehicles in India are capable of running on E85 fuel. These include:

• Hero Splendor+ Flex Fuel

• Hero HF Deluxe Flex Fuel

• Maruti Wagon R BioFlex

As more automakers explore flex-fuel technology, the availability of E85 is expected to support India's push towards reducing dependence on conventional fossil fuels and increasing the use of domestically produced ethanol.