Representative image. Vinayaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Why it matters
Most drivers now have only E20 to buy, Karnataka says, so they rely on the 20% figure when they worry about mileage and engine wear. If the state's findings hold up, the real blend at some pumps is higher than the label, and Karnataka is asking for that to be shown openly at the pump.
Ethanol in petrol sold at some pumps in Karnataka ran as high as 31.2%, well above the 20% blend that India’s E20 fuel is meant to carry, the Karnataka government said on Friday, 6 November 2026. Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Rizwan Arshad released lab results on samples from seven districts and asked the Centre to act against the oil companies involved.
The findings are the state government’s. None of the three reports NewsPlainly read, by The Hindu, the Hindustan Times and the Press Trust of India (PTI), carried a reply from the oil companies named; the Hindustan Times said it had asked them for one.
What Karnataka’s tests found: ethanol blend by company
Officials of the state’s Legal Metrology department collected the samples from petrol pumps, The Hindu reported. The districts named were Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Tumakuru, Ramanagara and Dakshina Kannada, which includes Mangaluru. The pumps belonged to Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL), Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL), Bharat Petroleum (BPCL), Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals (MRPL), Nayara Energy and Shell.
The highest reading was 31.2% ethanol in an IOCL sample, followed by 30.5% in HPCL’s Power petrol, according to the state’s statement as reported by the Hindustan Times. Eleven of the 14 samples were above 20%. Three were below it, the lowest at 13.5% in a Shell sample.
The ethanol blend also varied within the same company. Two IOCL samples came back at 31.2% and 20.8%, and Shell’s two at 25.5% and 13.5%, the Hindustan Times reported.
| Company | Ethanol found in samples | Above 20%? |
|---|---|---|
| IOCL | 31.2%, 20.8% | Both |
| HPCL | 30.5% (Power), 27%, 22.4% | All three |
| BPCL | 26.5% (Speed), 24.2%, 22.6%, 19.9% | Three of four |
| Nayara Energy | 26.1%, 20.6% | Both |
| Shell | 25.5%, 13.5% | One of two |
| MRPL | 19.2% | No |
How the ethanol in petrol was tested
To measure the ethanol in petrol, the state first sent the samples to the in-house laboratories of IOCL and BPCL, the minister said. Those reports did not state the ethanol content, he said, even though it was one of the things the state had asked them to test. The government said this raised questions about how open the oil companies were with consumers.
The department then had the same samples tested at the Shriram Research Institute in Bengaluru, a lab accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), The Hindu reported. The lab measured ethanol using gas chromatography, a standard method that separates a fuel into its parts, according to the Hindustan Times. Arshad handed out copies of six of the lab’s reports, and all six showed more than 20% ethanol.
The statement itself set a limit on what the tests prove. The results establish the ethanol content of the samples tested, it said, but do not by themselves show how widespread such levels are across the state’s fuel supply, the Hindustan Times reported.
Why 20% matters: E20 petrol and older vehicles
E20 is petrol mixed with 20% ethanol, an alcohol made from crops such as sugarcane and grain. Lower blends have been withdrawn from nearly one lakh fuel stations, leaving buyers no alternative, Arshad said, according to The Hindu. The national debate so far has been about whether a 20% mix hurts mileage and older engines; Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has defended E20 as safe, as NewsPlainly reported in October.
Karnataka’s claim adds a new question: whether the ethanol in petrol at the pump holds to 20% at all. The state said an ethanol blend above 20% could lower mileage and harm fuel pumps, injectors, hoses and seals in vehicles not built for it, PTI reported. Arshad said 99% of India’s more than 35 crore vehicles were not built for blends above 20%, and that even vehicles sold after April 2023 are certified only up to E20, according to The Hindu. The government also said most fuel dispensers at pumps were designed for up to 15% ethanol, the Hindustan Times reported.
Karnataka’s ₹62,000 crore estimate, checked
The state put a number on the cost to motorists. It assumed a 10% drop in mileage, yearly petrol use of 6,200 crore litres and a price of ₹100 a litre, and arrived at a loss of ₹62,000 crore a year, the Hindustan Times reported.
NewsPlainly checked the arithmetic: 6,200 crore litres at ₹100 is ₹6.2 lakh crore of fuel a year, and 10% of that is ₹62,000 crore. The sum is right, but the result depends wholly on the 10% mileage figure, which is the state’s assumption, not a measured loss. The state added ₹39,000 crore a year for repairs to reach about ₹1.01 lakh crore. The Hindu reported that the minister did not explain how the repair figure was worked out.
What Karnataka wants from the Centre and oil companies
The state asked the Union government to explain the blend actually being supplied and to act against oil marketing companies selling E20 petrol with more than 20% ethanol, citing the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel Order of 2005, which covers malpractice in fuel supply. It wants every petrol pump in India to display the ethanol share of its petrol and to let buyers choose between blends.
Arshad also proposed an “E20 spoilage fund” to pay motorists whose vehicles are damaged, with claims settled in a fixed time and damage certified by authorised service centres, The Hindu reported. Home Minister G Parameshwara said in a post on X that Karnataka would place its findings before the Union government and called for an investigation. The state said it would keep testing fuel and publish the results.
Frequently asked questions
How much ethanol was found in petrol in Karnataka?
The Karnataka government said lab tests found up to 31.2% ethanol in an IOCL sample and 30.5% in an HPCL sample. Eleven of 14 samples were above 20%.
What is the permitted ethanol in E20 petrol?
E20 petrol is meant to carry 20% ethanol. Karnataka said vehicles sold after April 2023 are certified only up to E20.
Which districts were the petrol samples from?
Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Tumakuru, Ramanagara and Dakshina Kannada, according to the state's statement as reported.