Karnataka found over 31% ethanol in IOCL petrol, while HPCL, BPCL, and Shell also crossed the 20% limit. Minister Rizwan Arshad said on Friday that four out of five surveyed pumps sold fuel with excess ethanol. The state government sent these test results to the Centre for an urgent review.
State laboratory tests reveal that major fuel retailers across multiple districts are exceeding the mandated twenty percent ethanol blending limit, with certain samples surging past thirty percent. The findings have been escalated to central authorities for urgent review.
Petrol samples collected from seven districts of Karnataka have recorded ethanol content above the prescribed 20% blending limit, with four out of five petrol pumps surveyed found to be selling fuel with higher ethanol content, a state minister said on Friday.
Karnataka's Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Rizwan Arshad, said the state government tested 63 petrol samples collected from fuel stations operated by major oil marketing companies, including Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), Shell and Nayara Energy.
The samples were sent to a certified private laboratory after oil marketing companies failed to respond to the government's request for information about the ethanol content in the petrol being sold at their outlets.
IOCL sample highest
The laboratory results showed that ethanol content in the tested samples exceeded the prescribed 20% limit. An IOCL sample recorded the highest ethanol content at more than 31.2%, followed by HPCL samples at 30.5% and 27%.
A BPCL sample recorded ethanol content of 26.5%, while samples from Nayara Energy and Shell showed blending levels of 26.1% and 25.5%, respectively.
According to the state government's findings, four out of five petrol pumps surveyed were selling petrol with ethanol content above 20%. The samples were collected from different districts to assess the fuel being sold by major oil marketing companies.
Report to Centre
The Karnataka government will forward the laboratory report to the Centre for further examination. The findings could prompt scrutiny of ethanol blending levels in petrol supplied and sold across the state.
E20 rollout
India accelerated the rollout of E20 petrol in 2025 as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to reduce dependence on imported crude oil, lower emissions and support domestic ethanol producers.
E20 petrol contains up to 20% ethanol blended with conventional petrol. Ethanol is an alcohol-based fuel generally produced from agricultural feedstocks such as sugarcane and maize.
However, the nationwide rollout has faced criticism from opposition parties and vehicle owners over concerns about its potential impact on vehicle mileage and compatibility with older vehicles.
E85 plans
The debate over ethanol blending has also extended to higher concentrations of ethanol in petrol. In June, Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said India would begin a phased rollout of petrol blended with 85% ethanol, known as E85.
E85 is intended for flex-fuel vehicles, which are designed to operate on petrol blended with higher proportions of ethanol.
However, a month later, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi said the government had no immediate plans to increase ethanol blending in petrol beyond the existing 20% limit.