Hi, please advise which is the best petrol considering the current E20 fuel situation. The manual says 91 octane and above is recommended. Moreover, petrol pumps also do not mention the blend clearly. I mostly fuel with Shell, assuming it is 100% petrol, but I recently heard they also mix E20. Please advise which one will be best and most trustworthy.

Asked by: Henry

In our lab tests, only IOCL’s XP100 was found to be completely ethanol-free. As of October 2025, Shell and Jio-BP petrol samples from Mumbai contained between 15% to 18% ethanol, though this is expected to gradually increase to 20% to meet the mandate.

In terms of octane rating, every ethanol-blended fuel we tested returned over 97 RON. Since ethanol has a tendency to absorb water during transport and storage, more than the brand, it is important to choose trusted, well-maintained pumps with high turnover.

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Autocar India Team

Dec 11, 2025

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