E85 Fuel Cheaper at the Pump, But Mileage Test Shows It Costs More on the Road

A mileage test on a flex-fuel motorcycle reveals that despite E85’s lower price per litre than petrol, sharply reduced fuel efficiency makes it more expensive to run over distance.

June 29, 2026 | New Delhi

India’s push toward higher ethanol-blended fuels has gained pace, with newer blends like E22, E25, E27 and E30 entering the market and Delhi recently inaugurating the country’s first E85 fuel station. While E85 is priced noticeably below E20 petrol, a recent mileage comparison suggests its lower cost at the pump does not necessarily translate into cheaper running costs for vehicle owners.

E85 is a flex-fuel blend containing 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent petrol, currently compatible with only a handful of vehicles in India, including select Maruti Suzuki, Suzuki, and Hero models. Because ethanol carries less energy than petrol, engines need to burn more fuel to produce equivalent power, resulting in lower mileage.

In a controlled test, a Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 Flex Fuel motorcycle covered around 124 km on roughly 2.4 litres of E20, returning close to 51 kmpl. On E85, the same bike covered a slightly longer distance but consumed nearly 4.4 litres, with mileage dropping by almost 43 percent.

Despite E85 costing about Rs 82 per litre against Rs 102 for E20, the higher consumption pushed its running cost to roughly Rs 2.82 per km, compared to around Rs 2 per km for E20. Over 1,000 km, E85 worked out to be several hundred rupees costlier overall.

The findings indicate that while E85 supports India’s clean-mobility goals and offers environmental benefits, it does not currently deliver savings for everyday riders, especially with flex-fuel vehicles also priced higher than standard petrol variants. Unless pricing or vehicle efficiency improves further, experts suggest E20 remains the more economical choice for now.

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