Petrol sold across India will soon contain more ethanol as the government moves ahead with its clean fuel plan. From April 1, 2026, oil companies must sell petrol blended with up to 20% ethanol and meet specific quality standards, according to PTI.
In a notification issued on February 17, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas directed oil marketing companies to supply ethanol-blended petrol, also called E20 petrol, across all states and Union Territories.
The fuel must follow the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) norms and have a minimum Research Octane Number (RON) of 95. RON is a measure of fuel quality and shows how well petrol can resist engine knocking, which can affect engine performance over time.
This means petrol pumps across the country will gradually supply fuel with a higher share of ethanol as the new standard.
However, the government has allowed limited flexibility in the rollout. In special situations, oil companies may be permitted to supply petrol that does not fully meet the ethanol blending requirement for certain regions or for a specific period.
