E85 fuel is now officially available in Mumbai at Rs 91.18 per litre. While the baseline petrol has 20 percent ethanol blending (E20), E85 takes that up to 85 percent ethanol. The price difference between E20 and E85 petrol in Mumbai is Rs 20.03 per litre, with the former currently priced at Rs 111.21 per litre. The fuel type was first introduced in Delhi in early June 2026.
- E85 costs Rs 9.06 per litre more in Mumbai than in Delhi
- E85 costs Rs 20.03 per litre less than E20 in Mumbai
E85 and flex-fuel vehicles
To visually separate it from other fuel types, E85 dispensers feature unique branding. However, E85 petrol will have even lower energy density compared to E20 petrol and thus less efficient. During our real-world E85 mileage test using a Suzuki Gixxer SF 250, the drop in fuel efficiency over E20 petrol was 24.40 percent. “E85 fuel is exclusively for flex-fuel vehicles, not for regular E20 compatible vehicles. The arrival of E85 by no means implies that E20 or petrol vehicles will be discontinued,” said Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Apart from major cities including Delhi and now Mumbai, the government plans to have 5,000 E85 dispersing stations operational across the country by the end of 2027. This process is expected to start with around 50-100 E85 stations being set up along the Delhi-NCR and Mumbai-Pune-Nagpur corridor by the end of 2026. Apart from the Hero Splendor+ and HF Deluxe motorcycles, the only other vehicle that can currently accept E85 is the newly launched Maruti Wagon R Bioflex.
Saptarshi Mondal
Dipan Sur
Dhruv Dhaka
Ajit Dalvi
