An independent, fully-cited investigation
The government says E20 barely touches your mileage. Millions of drivers say otherwise.
India blends 20% ethanol into every litre of petrol sold. This site traces what that has actually meant — for your fuel bill, for farmers, for the food supply, for the pumps themselves, and for your constitutional rights — using government data, court filings, and independent reporting, cited line by line.
The core disagreement, in one figure
Official claim
1–6%
Mileage loss the Petroleum Ministry attributes to E20, depending on vehicle calibration
Ground reality
80%
Share of pre-2023 vehicle owners who told LocalCircles their mileage fell in 2025
Both figures are real and cited. The gap between them is the story this site investigates.
Six things the data shows
Before you dive in
₹1.36L cr
Forex savings the government claims since 2014-15 — a gross figure, not netted against costs
1M tonnes
Maize India now imports a year, having flipped from a net exporter since ethanol demand surged
10,000+ mg/kg
Water contamination found in some E20 samples — over 3× the permissible limit
2 petitions
Supreme Court cases on E20 so far — one dismissed at the threshold, one still pending
Read the full investigation
Six angles. One fuel policy.
Understanding E20
What ethanol blending actually is, how the world has handled it, and how India got here in five years.
Read moreImpact on You
The fuel price didn’t fall. The mileage did. Calculate what that’s actually costing you.
Read moreFarmers & Food Security
Rice, maize, poultry feed, and who the ethanol economy really pays.
Read moreContamination & Infrastructure
Chloride, moisture, adulteration — and the storage network built for a fuel this isn’t.
Read moreYour Rights
Five constitutional articles, two live petitions, zero rulings on the merits — yet.
Read moreThe Way Forward
Ten fixes that could make this programme actually work — for farmers, citizens, and the climate.
Read moreThis story is still developing
Have you noticed a change since E20?
Mileage, repair bills, a car that wouldn’t start after a fill-up — if you’ve experienced something worth recording, it helps build a public, independent record alongside the official one.