Fed Up With E20 Petrol? Here Are 5 Real Alternatives Indian Drivers Are Switching To in 2026
Rs 110 for a litre of petrol. And now it doesn't even give you the mileage it used to. If your bike or car has started juddering at idle, struggling on cold mornings, or simply drinking more fuel than before, you are not imagining things. A large-scale LocalCircles survey found that among owners of 2023–2024 vehicles — the ones automakers certify as fully E20-compatible — 59% still reported a mileage drop of more than 10%, and a quarter of those saw drops beyond 20%. Even India's own Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has publicly accepted that mileage has fallen since the ethanol-blended fuel rollout. The tricky part? E20 became the only fuel available at most stations last year, so you can't simply "opt out" at the pump. But you do have options beyond just accepting it. Here are five real alternatives worth considering. 1. CNG — The Wallet-Friendly Middle Ground For daily city driving, CNG remains one of the most practical escapes from the petrol-ethanol rol...