E10 petrol is considered damaging for older cars according to Dutch reports

MOTORISTS in Holland who are known for being cash conscious are actually paying more to fill their cars with expensive petrol as the greener E10 (which replaced 95 fuel last year) is considered damaging to an estimated 700,000 vehicles.

The problems with E10 which contains as much as 10 per cent sustainable bioethanol means that newer cars produce up to 2 per cent less carbon dioxide but Dutch motoring organisation Bovag said prior to its launch that it would not be compatible with many older models.

This claim is born out by petrol card supplier Multitankcard whose spokesman told Telegraaf newspaper “We can see that very clearly though an analysis of spending patterns. Between August 2019 and August 2020, the sale of E5 rose 20 per cent, while the sale of E10 actually fell 5 per cent.”

Despite the Europe wide introduction of these new petrol types, pumps in Gibraltar and Spain still refer to 95 and 98 Octane fuel and prices have generally remained unchanged although currently it is significantly cheaper (up to 30 eurocents a litre) to fill up on the Rock.